This new residential college will support an increasingly diverse cross-section of undergraduates at Princeton, creating an inclusive, closely-knit, collaborative community of living, learning, socializing, and dining. The design for Hobson College considers how these spheres enhance one another and how the college will house spaces of creativity and serendipitous collision. As part of the residential college construction program, this new complex will be built on the site of the former First College dorms. The existing dorms are past their usable life, not accessible, and do not support the residential experience we are trying to provide for students.

This project comprises a continuous sequence of mostly five-story buildings that complement the campus with contemporary architecture. The new layout supports the residential experience through enhanced connectivity within the existing campus by strengthening and connecting walkways and vistas. The new buildings will be accessible with pathways carefully designed to observe the maximum recommended slopes for wheelchair users, and all buildings will have elevators.

The project design incorporates numerous sustainability systems and features, including reduced embodied carbon, operational carbon and energy use, and potable water demand. The project will use native and adaptive vegetation, stormwater bio-retention systems, healthy materials, and bird-safe glass. The building orientation, massing, and external shading maximize useful daylight, reduce glare, and take advantage of solar heat gains. The improved building envelope and landscape programming will make temperatures more comfortable inside and outside the building. The design and construction of Hobson College will help the University achieve our Sustainability Action Plan goals, including net-zero greenhouse gas emmissions. It will become part of the transition of all campus buildings to one of higher education's largest fossil-free geo-exchange heating and cooling systems. See how on our sustainable design pages. The University will seek Passive House (an international standard established by the Passive House Institute) and LEED Gold certification (a standard established by the U.S. Green Building Council) for the buildings.

If you have a question or concern about campus construction, please call us at 609-258-8023 (7:30 am – 5 pm) or submit a "Contact Us" form.