STV was retained by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York to design a new residence hall for the campus of the State University of New York at New Paltz. STV’s design grouped student rooms and support spaces into six zones to support the goals of creating a residential environment that stimulates learning, reinforces the academic community and builds successful relationships among the diverse residents of New Paltz.

The site for the new 76,000-square-foot residence facility, Esopus Hall, is located in a developing area at the edge of the New Paltz campus. The University was expanding the campus by developing this area as an anchor. The residence hall was integrated with other construction activities on this part of the campus, and was coordinated with long-range site objectives of the area, such as the creation of a new campus entrance and road system. A particularly important aspect of this site was the extraordinary character of the natural landscape unencumbered by development with long vistas to ponds and fields.