The “Campus Corner” public space of Middlesex College capitalizes on an opportunity. As the masterplan for the Student Center and the Multi-Purpose Venue evolved, the space between them began to develop as a distinct opportunity in and of itself. In addition to knitting these two functions together, it also could serve as a link between the parking to the west and a future park to the east. With this insight, this it could be activated with a number of different events, work in different modes at different times to transform from a space to an actual, thriving place in its own right.
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Global Future Design Awards 2025
Middlesex County Campus Corner
Urban Design (Under Construction)
Firm
AECOM
Architect/Designer
Francis W Cooke
Design Team
AECOM
Location
United States
Country
United States
Photographer/Copyright
©AECOM
Social Media Handles:
Website
https://aecom.com/
The Gateway building ostensibly works as an entry portal for the Multi-Purpose Venue but additionally serves as a portal into the Campus Corner. The scale of the Campus Corner allowed for the introduction of a green lawn that is anchored by stadium scoreboard. This structure was then developed to host a covered stage on the back side that could face the lawn. This move opened up the possibility of the space to host cultural events, small local concerts, open mic nights and movie nights on the lawn. These smaller scale attractions create the identity of the Campus Corner as an entity in its own right. The broad, hardscaped edges of the lawn were then designed to host food trucks, booths, and outdoor seating for the sports bar in the student center. By programmatically activating the edges of the lawn, a truly engaging public place emerges.
The different programming of this space through time makes it vibrant and enduring. There are different operational modes, complete with different forms of access to the adjacent budlings. These modes mix the different user groups (students, locals and visitors) in different ways that create multiple types of interaction. The Campus Corner can serve as an outdoor space for a ticketed events at the Student Center, an outfield experience on game day, a farmer’s market on the weekend, host a movie night or concert on a summer evening; the programming potential and cultural impact is immense. It is this flexibility, built around solid planning principles, that will make the Campus Corner a deeply meaningful asset for Middlesex County.
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