“Anybody can throw up a building. But what does the building say to the people that inhabit it…How does it change culture…How does it promote self-discovery…How does it influence behavior?” – Dr. Guy F. Riekeman, Chancellor

The answer to these questions lie at the very core of the design for The New Commons at Life University (LIFE) – a 362-bed, purpose-built residence hall that invigorates, comforts and inspires. When conceptualizing the building, Collins Cooper Carusi Architects were guided by LIFE’s Lasting Purpose: To Give, To Serve, To Love, To Do. LIFE’s leadership firmly believes their students are positioned to change the world and they wanted their residence hall to support them along the way.

The New Commons building is organized around twelve distinct living/learning communities, each inspired by famous “Faces of Inspiration,” including Nelson Mandela, Hellen Keller, Maya Angelou, Mother Teresa, Dr. Martin Luther King and B.J. Palmer.

First impressions matter. Though the building itself is subtle on the outside, students are never let down when they enter The New Commons. Residents are greeted by a slide, weaving its way into the lobby from the residences above. Opposite the slide is 200-seat dining café/commons that serves the entire LIFE Community.

Attention to detail abounds with LIFE’s message revealed in thoughtfully placed artwork and graphics throughout. Even the café lighting tells a story. The café ceiling appears abstract at first glance, but upon further study, the lighting is laid out in Morse Code to spell out LIFES’s Lasting Purpose.

Students are encouraged to move freely throughout the building, from floor to floor for different experiences, as each of the communities was designed to evoke a different emotion through its furniture, color, textures and lighting. In each community, light-filled lounge areas of varying sizes serve multiple uses. The variety and flexibility of the spaces promote an inclusive and connected community.

Further fostering community and engagement, the building takes a different design approach to the traditional “bathroom down the hall” by placing shared community vanity bars in the halls with adjacent private shower and toilet rooms. Much in the same vein, laundry rooms and food preparation stations are strategically placed to further strengthen student interaction. The result is a functional and efficient plan with an abundance of community space.

LIFE’s goal was to comfort, inspire and invigorate students. And, as one student said, “Wow, they thought of everything - there’s even a slide!”