Cleveland Institute of Art

Project Narrative:
The Cleveland Institute of Art's new student housing is strategically located immediately east of CIA’s main facility at 11610 Euclid Avenue, on a .79-acre brownfield site. The four-story structure is wood-framed on concrete foundations with an at-grade concrete slab. The building complies with current building codes and meets Enterprise Green Communities certification criteria. It houses 53 apartment suites, accommodating 203 beds, with a mix of four-bedroom, two-bedroom, and studio units. Ground-floor amenities include a lounge, fitness center, and shared laundry facilities.

This long and narrow site is well-suited for student housing, and the building is conceived as a simple form of a rectangular box. The facade features modulating grouped windows, creating a vertical rhythm with wide openings for living rooms and narrow ones for bedrooms. The facade employs a rainscreen system clad in Kronoart resinous panels and aluminum composite metal panel. A distinctive white sintered stone detail frames the storefront, giving the first-floor lounge a lantern effect that enhances transparency along the pedestrian passageway. Each of the upper three floors has additional student lounges facing the Main Campus Design Studios, fostering a dynamic interplay between the living and working spaces of art students.