Dalton Hall, constructed in 1892, was the first science laboratory building dedicated to academics. This project converts the building into Center for Collaborative Learning and Research and the home of the social science departments.
Two major design goals were to revive a building that students had become afraid to enter, and to connect the historic building with the adjacent underground computer center. Secondary design goals included integrating the building into the academic core, opening up the building interior, and blending the new design with materials used in the original design.
The project contributes to a "sense of place" by reclaiming a building and an exterior space that were isolated from the campus core by construction of other buildings. A new stair and entry addition on the campus side of Dalton Hall is a beacon, a glass lantern guiding visitors to the building. The siting of this addition within a space hidden behind the computer center brings new life to that space, and its design orients the entrance to the oblique approach from campus. The connection of Dalton Hall with Guild Hall creates a new center of academic gravity in the united complex, drawing students to a secondary campus space.
"The joining of the two buildings to create a far greater whole supports two key goals of the plan, enhancing the college's ability to recruit and retain the most qualified students while fostering innovation without significant expansion," says Glenn R. Smith, Director of facilities Services.
New materials complement the industrial aesthetic of the original building. The palette of the renovation and addition is composed of simple materials such as exposed concrete and steel, slate, glass, painted wood and metal. The faceted geometry of the addition recalls the octagonal stone towers and the limestone of the historic windows of Dalton.
A lesson learned is that clients should be encouraged to reach beyond basic requirements of program and design and to be open to new ideas about program and new directions for design. The idea of a collaborative learning center arose with the idea to link two small buildings into a larger whole. These kinds of opportunities should be embraced, particularly on a campus with limited funds and space.
The jury said, ". . . there was tremendous use of light . . . the lightness of the ceiling system is quite elegant . . . it is exactly what want to see in adaptive reuse."
Project Team: Bryn Mawr College with MGA Partners, Architects; CVM Engineers, structural engineering, HF Lenz Company, systems engineering and I:I:6 Technologies, historic preservation. |
