A Case Study on the Collegiate Gothic Vernacular: Four Residential Colleges at Vanderbilt University

6-8PM, October 29^th, 2026

David M. Schwarz Architects
1707 L St. NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC

Join the ICAA at the offices of David M. Schwarz Architects for a discussion of their recently completed residential colleges at Vanderbilt University.
This talk has been approved for 1 AIA HSW Credit. Refreshments will be served.

Founded in 1873 in Nashville, Vanderbilt University has a historic campus that spans several architectural styles. When the University set out to comprehensively upgrade its aging student housing, it chose to develop a residential college system. Modeled on Oxford and Cambridge, residential colleges divide the university community into smaller, interdisciplinary groups of students who share a home throughout their time on campus. As a building type, the residential college brings together spaces to live, learn, dine, collaborate, and socialize.

Vanderbilt engaged David M. Schwarz Architects to develop a master plan for residential colleges, which led to a multi-phase project to build four new colleges in the heart of the historic campus. Together they total nearly 1 million square feet and house over 1,300 students. Early in the design process, the firm led a comprehensive study and dialogue with the University that determined Collegiate Gothic Revival was the most appropriate language for the new colleges.

In this session, Steve Knight and Mark Elliott of David M. Schwarz Architects will review the master plan, explore the influence of historic precedents, and present the four new colleges. They will discuss the opportunities and challenges of designing and building high-quality, traditionally inspired institutional architecture with modern supply, fabrication, and construction methods, with particular attention to exterior brick, limestone, steel windows, and custom interior millwork.