Charles &
Hildegarde
Keller Terrace
Within Palmer College of Chiropractic’s dense urban campus, Keller Terrace transforms an overlooked outdoor space into a welcoming destination for studying, dining and gathering. The elevated terrace once offered little shade or reason to linger. As part of the adjacent academic building renovation, RDG reimagined it as an outdoor extension of campus life, giving students, faculty and staff more choices for how to spend time outside.
Distinct but connected settings accommodate both social activity and quiet retreat. A custom wood-and-steel pergola anchors the terrace, filtering sunlight and bringing a comfortable scale to the surrounding building facades. Beneath it, flexible seating supports meals, study sessions and conversation. Nearby, a grove of honeylocust trees shades movable lounge chairs, creating a quieter place to recharge. A central green provides room for informal recreation, while upper seating areas offer additional places to meet or study.
The seemingly continuous landscape conceals a complex technical challenge: approximately half the terrace sits above an existing basement roof, while the remainder rests on grade. RDG coordinated structure, drainage, planting and surface systems to unite these conditions. Pedestal-supported paving and synthetic turf accommodate the roof structure, while structural soil provides rooting space for trees beneath adjacent activity areas. The pergola aligns with existing building columns, incorporating the campus’s structural framework into its new identity.
Warm wood, dark steel and a restrained material palette give the terrace a distinctive character that complements the existing architecture. Integrated lighting at the pergola, paths, walls and steps extends its usefulness into the evening.
Set above the city street and framed by campus buildings, Keller Terrace turns enclosure into a sense of refuge. Its transformation makes more of Palmer’s existing footprint, creating a comfortable outdoor gathering place at the heart of campus.