The newest addition to the University of Cincinnati skyline, Clifton Court Hall, which will house the College of Arts & Sciences (A&S), is set to be completed in May.
Clifton Court Hall is the newest academic building at UC, located on the west side of campus. It is approximately 180,000 square feet and will feature work rooms, meeting rooms, project and lab spaces, and related multifunction gathering spaces, according to a recent Capital Projects in Design and Construction from the Board of Trustees (BOT).
The facility has been in construction since May 2021 and cost the university $93 million, $85.5 million of which is categorized by the BOT as debt. The remaining funds were gifts to the university.
According to John Seibert, associate vice president of Planning + Design + Construction, the space will be open to faculty and staff in May, as the departments of Psychology, Philosophy, Communication, Political Science, Romance & Arabic Languages and Literature, German Studies, Digital Media and Journalism move into their new home.
The space will be open to students in June.
Like many of the other recent additions to the campus, Clifton Court Hall was designed as a space that encouraged multidisciplinary collaborations. This means that in addition to the classrooms and offices, the space will have a variety of student workspaces. This element is one of Seibert’s favorite things about Clifton Court Hall.
“The student collaboration spaces on the first, second, and third floors will be at the heart of a very dynamic environment for students,” Seibert said. “The space will be naturally lit by a skylight and ample glass with views to the north and south ends of the space. It will have private group study rooms, mixed seating, work postures in the open spaces, and a student lounge that will be a great addition to campus.”
Clifton Court Hall was designed by LMN, a Seattle-based architecture firm that regularly designs interdisciplinary spaces for universities. This building is the first on the UC campus to be designed by LMN. With the firm is a UC alumnus, Mark Reddington, who graduated from the university in 1986.
“Mark is the Lead Design Architect of the building and is a proud UC alum who was able to come back to campus to contribute to our outstanding assemble of signature architecture,” Seibert said. “It was rewarding to see a former student and nationally recognized architect have that opportunity. I love the story of alumni coming back to campus to contribute to our students, the campus, and its future success.”
