Construction Cost: $2,400,000
Completion Date: 2008.08

Currently in design is a new chapter house for the Tennessee Gamma Chapter of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity located on the University of Tennessee campus. Modeled for efficiency of space while allowing for great flow and flexibility, the new facility will sleep more than 25 students in a combination of single and double-room configurations. Seamlessly integrating interior and exterior spaces, the house provides for many varied experiences required of the chapter.

Confronted with a steep site, rigorous residential standards, and a modest budget, CDP created a durable design which accommodates large scale chapter functions, ceremonies, and social events, yet maintains the residential scale for day-to-day student life.

The house is functionally divided into two distinct volumes: a chapter wing and a residential wing. The two wings straddle a courtyard and are connected via a glass-enclosed bridge. This design feature maximizes light in occupied spaces and provides adequate sound separations between the two wings. A cantilevered chapter room over a multipurpose area creates a focal point at the buildings most prominent space. To protect privacy of chapter functions, a majority of the windows of each wing open onto the courtyard.

By programmatically dividing the house between public/chapter and private/residential functions, the volume and massing of the two wings responds directly to the context of the existing neighborhood.