Princeton University Faculty Housing

The vision for Princeton’s Faculty Housing includes redeveloping the Merwick site and Stanworth community located near the University campus through a public/private partnership approach.  The new community has been designed utilizing the English Arts and Crafts and Tudor Revival architectural vocabularies as a base.  Existing neighborhood context served to inform building rhythm and location.  Housing layouts utilize standard chassis with varied “architectural clothing” to utilize a “Kit of Parts” approach to creating variety on the exteriors - providing an efficient and diverse design.  

New homes are provided in a mix of multifamily, stacked flats and townhouses constructed in two phases on a combined site of approximately 25 acres. The University-owned site is within a 5 minute walk to campus, with pedestrian/ bicycle connections using elements such as wider sidewalks, appropriate site lighting, and saving existing trees.  A key design focus was to integrate the site with the existing neighborhood fabric, creating a cohesive connection with the YWCA and YMCA facilities adjacent to the site, and providing reciprocal usage of amenities between sites.  

In 2006, New Jersey recognized that there were approximately 1.8 million residents with disabilities and instituted a new model code known as the New Jersey Accessibility Code which addresses the needs of larger families and incorporates accessibility guidelines.  In addition to retrofitting an existing building in the surrounding neighborhood, the project integrates this critical accessibility component to the highest degree possible.