The Gladding Residence Center is a vibrant, 12-story student housing community on a prominent site fronting Richmond’s historic Monroe Park on the Virginia Commonwealth University campus. It is the first project implemented as a result of the Ayers Saint Gross housing master plan for the university, providing traditional double units and four-person semi-suites for first-year students. Double-height floor lounges create active and visible hubs for student interaction, while accommodating a range of shared living-learning spaces. A portion of the central wing is recessed along West Main Street to preserve and integrate the neoclassical façade of a historic bathhouse on the site – a perceived obstacle that became a design opportunity. The project achieved LEED Silver certification and was delivered through a public-private partnership with American Campus Communities.