Suffolk University

Housing 345 students, the Somerset Street Residence Hall complements the character of its historic Beacon Hill neighborhood. The key organizing element of the building, one of the “greenest” in Boston, is a 19-story central atrium designed to harvest daylight and reduce heat loss and gain by buffering surrounding interior spaces. The atrium consists of transparent, south and west facing glass walls and skylights. Interior surfaces include glazing and aluminum wall panels. Chosen to reflect and diffuse light to ground floor and bedroom, lounge and common spaces on floors above, these materials introduce a quality of daylight not found in the typical dormitory.

Acting as a thermal buffer and cold weather solar collector, the atrium tempers the air above the occupied ground level and reduces heat gain and loss to adjacent dormitory rooms with minimal energy use. Temperature sensors at the top of the atrium control louvers and fans that admit outside air, naturally ventilating the atrium and optimizing internal temperatures.