ACADEMIC WORK

Curry College Student Center Design Project - RDK Engineering 

Curry College Student Center

Traditionally, student centers on college campuses are supposed to be the “center” of the students’ activities – a place where students can come together to dine, socialize, shop, and exercise.

Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts decided that they were no longer satisfied with the single-story, flat-roofed, limited facility that served as the Drabkin Student Center on their campus.

Instead, they decided to ask the innovative teams at Suffolk Construction, CBT Architects, and RDK Engineers to design and build a new 84,000 square foot student center. RDK Engineers worked with their design partners to create a recreational athletic facility which today includes a gymnasium and fitness center; expanded dining hall; student lounge; sports café; chapel; post office and business center; amphitheatre; and a campus bookstore. 

In each of these spaces, RDK was part of the team who made sure that the temperature in each area maintains levels that make it comfortable, healthy, and inviting.  The light in each of these spaces was designed in such a way that creates an overall feeling of openness and welcome.


RDK Principal, Warren Cochrane, who led the engineering team who completed this project stated: “We genuinely enjoyed designing the systems behind this incredible environment in which students can come together in a facility where the lighting is warm, the air quality is pure, and green areas line the outside with beautiful landscaping.  Not just the quality of air changed for the students when we completed this project, but the quality of their college life improved greatly as well.”

      Key Features:

  • RDK’s first project designed using MEP 2009 3D Software
  • $20 million construction cost