Rider University partnered with Spiezle Architectural Group to create a relaxation room for students, dubbed "The Zen Den." Built with mental health and wellness in mind, the space serves students in need of recharging and rejuvenating their mental well-being.
The lounge came to life from repurposing an old computer lab on the university's Lawrenceville, N.J., campus. Neighbored with the Student Affairs and Office of Equity and Inclusion, the Zen Den sits in the heart of the university, aligning with Rider's wellness goals.
Spiezle collaborated with multiple university organizations to design the space. With input from student governments and facilities operations groups, the firm landed on a design that fits a vast array of students' needs.
The 'Zen Den' biophilic design and soothing features
The Zen Den is split into zones to accommodate different aspects of mental well-being. With its wide array of furniture, the room can be configured in various ways to allow students unique ways of interacting with the environment. For example, sensory features like hexagon-shaped touch lights offer a calming way to engage with simulated nature. A large forest mural adds to the lounge's biophilic influence as well, alongside its use of wood and neutral furniture color tones.
Additional features of the Zen Den include large bean bags, lounge seating, and hanging chairs. According to Rider University, the space also benefits neurodivergent students who may have difficulties with overstimulation.
"Spiezle's exceptional work designing and creating this space exemplifies the need for an intentional place to quiet one's mind and spirit to counter the busyness of the day and the external environment," said Dr. Leanna Fenneberg, Vice President of Student Affairs at Rider University. "We didn't want this to be a study space; we wanted it to be a place to breathe and rejuvenate so students can return to their schoolwork feeling refreshed and restored."
Read more about Rider University's "Zen Den" here.
Related Stories
| May 18, 2011
Major Trends in University Residence Halls
They’re not ‘dorms’ anymore. Today’s collegiate housing facilities are lively, state-of-the-art, and green—and a growing sector for Building Teams to explore.
| May 18, 2011
Raphael Viñoly’s serpentine-shaped building snakes up San Francisco hillside
The hillside location for the Ray and Dagmar Dolby Regeneration Medicine building at the University of California, San Francisco, presented a challenge to the Building Team of Raphael Viñoly, SmithGroup, DPR Construction, and Forell/Elsesser Engineers. The 660-foot-long serpentine-shaped building sits on a structural framework 40 to 70 feet off the ground to accommodate the hillside’s steep 60-degree slope.
| Apr 13, 2011
Duke University parking garage driven to LEED certification
People parking their cars inside the new Research Drive garage at Duke University are making history—they’re utilizing the country’s first freestanding LEED-certified parking structure.
| Apr 12, 2011
Rutgers students offered choice of food and dining facilities
The Livingston Dining Commons at Rutgers University’s Livingston Campus in New Brunswick, N.J., was designed by Biber Partnership, Summit, N.J., to offer three different dining rooms that connect to a central servery.
| Apr 12, 2011
College of New Jersey facility will teach teachers how to teach
The College of New Jersey broke ground on its 79,000-sf School of Education building in Ewing, N.J.
| Mar 23, 2011
After 60 years of student lobbying, new activity center opens at University of Texas
The new Student Activity Center at the University of Texas campus, Austin, is the result of almost 60 years of students lobbying for another dedicated social and cultural center on campus. The 149,000-sf facility is designed to serve as the "campus living room," and should earn a LEED Gold certification, a first for the campus.
| Mar 18, 2011
Universities will compete to build a campus on New York City land
New York City announced that it had received 18 expressions of interest in establishing a research center from universities and corporations around the world. Struggling to compete with Silicon Valley, Boston, and other high-tech hubs, officials charged with developing the city’s economy have identified several city-owned sites that might serve as a home for the research center for applied science and engineering that they hope to establish.
| Mar 15, 2011
What Starbucks taught us about redesigning college campuses
Equating education with a cup of coffee might seem like a stretch, but your choice of college, much like your choice of coffee, says something about the ability of a brand to transform your day. When Perkins + Will was offered the chance to help re-think the learning spaces of Miami Dade College, we started by thinking about how our choice of morning coffee has changed over the years, and how we could apply those lessons to education.
