University of Delaware Student and University Centers

Building from the Student Experience Master Plan, our team developed concepts for two prominent buildings on the campus along "The Experiential Pathway". This pathway is an initiative aimed at creating a seamless thread that cohesively ties together all campus districts and creates attraction once every minute along the walking journey through campus.

The Perkins Student Center would replace an existing student-life building and landscape on the campus, serving as a revitalized hub for student engagement. Perkins is positioned as a central destination along the path. A phased approach will rejuvenate this vital student hub, including the transformation of an existing street—currently separating the student center from the historic quad—into a woonerf, a pedestrian-prioritized street that can seamlessly convert into a festival plaza or market-day venue. The design activates a dynamic, ground-level quad that supports a variety of activities, while event attendees in the ballroom can spill out into the surrounding landscape. Outdoor patios provide students with inviting spaces to dine and socialize, fostering a connection with nature. The integration of native plantings and inhabitable green roofs further enhances the project’s sustainability and overall sense of place.

The Trabant University Center renovation would reinvigorate the university’s primary student-life building. This building will serve as a pivotal destination along this revitalized campus journey.

Originally designed by renowned architect Robert Venturi, the building is thoughtfully integrated into the campus fabric yet currently lacks strong connections to its surrounding landscape. In response, Damon Farber has collaborated on strategies to strengthen indoor–outdoor relationships and introduce much-needed outdoor dining and social spaces. These enhancements would support a wide range of student activities, offering medium- to intimate-scale settings for dining, recreation, informal performances, relaxation, collaboration, and study. Native planting and integrated stormwater design further enhance the project’s sustainability, ecological performance, and visual character.