This complex renovation and addition of a historic 1938 building located in the heart of campus combines adaptive reuse, sustainable design and the creative integration of multiple departments, colleges and programs. It demonstrates a conceptual sensitivity to revealing a contemporary learning environment while celebrating the heritage of building and campus.
The project is a crossroads of old and new, defined by the organization of public spaces around a transparent volume of semi-public learning environments. Each is inhabited by a different department or college. Like a plaza in an urban setting, the daylit atrium is surrounded by a “streetscape” of corridors of varying character and scale. Punctuated by a five-story curtain wall, the atrium showcases people engaged in a myriad of learning activities: traditional instruction, retail merchandising, group presentations, quiet study, gallery viewing, and athletic training. The rich program of public space at the ground floor features an expansive learning studio with tutoring, advising and academic support elements as well as study space. The prominence of these services facilitates student engagement and retention—maintaining a vibrant and active student support environment for the building and larger community.
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