The University of Cincinnati’s recently completed Clifton Court Hall unifies the school’s social science programs into a multidisciplinary research and education facility. The 185,400-sf structure is the university’s largest classroom building, serving its largest college, the College of Arts and Sciences.
Designed by LMN Architects in collaboration with KZF Design, the 185,400-sf, five-floor building unites academic units from various buildings across campus to create a new home for the College of Arts and Sciences. It brings together six departments, including faculty workspace, specialized lab spaces, administrative offices, classrooms, and a central social hub. The new building also acts as an arrival nexus that links the College to the campus core and the adjacent city neighborhood.
As a hub for student collaboration and learning, the building offers over 1,000 classroom seats in flexible flat-floor classrooms, seminar rooms, and a collaborative auditorium. The building also provides study, lab, and social spaces to support non-classroom learning. On the exterior, the terracotta-paneled façade complements the red brick of the prominent campus buildings.
Clifton Court Hall’s central, five-story atrium is infused with daylight from skylights and large north- and south-facing windows, which visually connect the building with the surrounding campus. The atrium serves as a hub for the College, fostering academic and social exchange in community and collaboration spaces and adjacent team rooms. A sculptural red stairway extends three stories diagonally through the atrium.
“The College of Arts & Sciences delivers curriculum to every student on the University of Cincinnati campus,” Susan Lowance, Principal, LMN Architects, said in a statement. “Every student will spend time here learning, researching, and engaging with the outside community, which makes it a building for the whole campus.”
On the Building Team:
Design architect: LMN Architects
Architect of record: KZF Design
Structural and civil engineer and MEP designer: Buro Happold
MEP engineer: IMEG Corp.
Landscape architect: MKSK
General contractor: Messer Construction
![University of Cincinnati Clifton Court Hall](/sites/default/files/inline-images/The%20University%20of%20Cincinnati%20builds%20its%20largest%20classroom%20building%20to%20serve%20its%20largest%20college%202.jpg)
![University of Cincinnati Clifton Court Hall](/sites/default/files/inline-images/The%20University%20of%20Cincinnati%20builds%20its%20largest%20classroom%20building%20to%20serve%20its%20largest%20college.jpg)
Related Stories
Products and Materials | Mar 28, 2017
Mondopads highlight Portland State University’s new Decision Theater
A total of seven InFocus Mondopads were used in the room to accommodate large group work and individual study.
University Buildings | Mar 14, 2017
Fresh off NCAA national title, Clemson opens plush football operations complex
The 142,500-sf facility, which opened just three weeks after Clemson’s national championship win over the University of Alabama, adjoins the indoor practice facility and outdoor practice fields, consolidating football operations into one complex.
University Buildings | Mar 8, 2017
Massive mixed-use residential village on USC’s Los Angeles campus on schedule to open this fall
Prefabrication of the six buildings’ walls reduced construction time by a year.
School Construction | Feb 26, 2017
A new survey finds education construction activity going strong this year
Surveys of school districts and colleges, though, raise questions about financing for future projects.
University Buildings | Jan 10, 2017
UMass Amherst’s Isenberg School of Business to receive modern, twisted addition from BIG
The 70,000-sf building was developed in collaboration with Boston-based Goody Clancy.
University Buildings | Jan 9, 2017
Massive student housing project in Texas will be ready this Fall
Developers hope the early opening of some units sets the tone for the community and future rentals.
University Buildings | Dec 5, 2016
University of Chicago to open new education center in Hong Kong
The new facility will be named for University Trustee, Francis Yuen, and his wife Rose Wai Man Lee Yuen.
University Buildings | Nov 18, 2016
Stephen F. Austin State University’s new STEM building breaks ground
Kirksey Architecture designed the building that ‘will serve as a landmark for SFA.’
University Buildings | Oct 25, 2016
Columbia University dedicates its new campus with great fanfare
Transparency to the surrounding community played a big role in the campus’s design.
School Construction | Oct 23, 2016
As construction rebounds, education sector spending flattens
Post-recession slump suggests a settling in at a “normal” level similar to the mid aughts.