Landis Furniture Improvements

12/12/2023

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Bordering Landis Green to the south and sharing the same name, Landis Hall is an essential figure in the heart of Florida State's campus. Home to 400 honors students, University Housing requested a furniture replacement for Landis Hall's common areas, such as study rooms, kitchens, and lounges. The Facilities Design group collaborated with University Housing to foster an environment of collaboration, socialization, and community that recalls the Hall's character while upgrading existing, outdated furniture.

Programming each area before design commenced was vital to determining the most suitable furniture for a residence hall. The design team opted for a transitional modern aesthetic in the furniture selection. The team chose classic lounge furniture, such as chairs, love seats, and sofas, for the public-facing areas in the building's lobby. The furniture is easily movable to suit the preferences and needs of the residents while still maintaining a cohesive look. For the semi-private spaces, such as study areas, the team opted for individual seating with laptop tables and coffeehouse-style seating to accommodate study groups and others congregating.

"Housing was a great resource when determining the needs of this building," said Architectural Designer Marisa Szymanski. "We took their cues on maximizing efficiency and creating a successful layout students would love to be in.

Extra consideration was given to the second-story arcade for egress requirements. The design team chose a mixture of high and low seating and table configurations that promote visual interest in a narrow space. Flexibility was the overall goal in these spaces, providing autonomy to the residents to choose to modify the space to their needs.

"We believe it is important to provide a sense of place within the residence halls and give control to the students," said Szymanski. "For most of them, this is their first experience living independently."

Residence Halls are students' homes away from home, operating twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week, requiring more tailored furniture specifications. Furniture is selected with replaceable parts and pieces to avoid replacing the entire unit when only one component needs to be replaced, ensuring the longevity of the pieces. The materiality of both the hard and soft surfaces is also critical for durability and cleanliness. Hard surfaces must be a high-pressure laminate or healthcare-grade wood veneer. In addition, upholstered goods must be bleach-cleanable, withstand denim-dye transfer, and ink-resistant.

"We have such high standards for the furniture we use on campus because we need to think about how it will hold up for years," said Szymanski.

Feedback from students is crucial for future projects. University Housing surveyed Landis residents following the furniture installation to help shape design considerations for future projects and make adjustments to the current project. In-house design is responsible for furniture specification university-wide, and this was their first housing-specific furniture project since a recent Facilities reorganization. The design team looks forward to more opportunities to work with housing soon.