BRB Architects has completed the 57,000 sf campus center and associated main quadrangle at Molloy College. Intended to be the centerpiece of the College’s transformation from a commuter college to a 24-hour learning community, the “Public Square” will support student life with spaces such as a café, lounges, study rooms, student club space, a bookstore and an art gallery. In addition, the center houses a 550-seat theater, as well as rehearsal and office spaces for the music department.
The 57,000 “Public Square” creates and frames a central campus quadrangle. A café, lounge and study space are located on the east side of the building, overlooking the quadrangle through the largely glazed east face of the building. The indoor spaces are an extension of the quadrangle, together creating a vibrant center for student life at Molloy.
The building is organized as a series of three layers separated by open-ended circulation spines, which allow visual connection to the Molloy Campus. The masonry-clad westernmost layer houses support spaces and enclosed offices. The loft-like central layer of the building with its exposed steel structure is designed for maximum flexibility, allowing multiple uses on a daily basis as well as being engineered for future reconfiguration as the needs of the campus community evolve. This zone contains larger spaces such as the multi-purpose space, the art gallery, student club workrooms, and the information commons, a flexible, technologically enabled space. This open zone is punctuated by a large sky lit atrium, connecting spaces vertically and creating a vibrant bustle throughout the building. The glass and zinc clad easternmost layer of the building acts as a veranda, visually connecting lounge and study spaces to the outdoor quadrangle. Here in the most permeable layer of the “Public Square” we see the interaction of indoor and outdoor activities that support the thriving learning community at Molloy College.
A 550-seat theater forms the southernmost mass of the building, and is articulated as a discrete pavilion. The slight rotation of the theater volume begins to gently enclose the main quadrangle while creating a pedestrian gateway from the western parking area, through the lobby, to the campus quadrangle.
Through the use of sand cast red brick, oak doors, and a warm natural color palette, the building maintains a strong connection to the existing campus fabric. The permeable flowing spaces, combined with the robust authenticity of polished concrete and exposed steel structure, however, reflect the sense that the “Public Square” serves a special function at Molloy College; that of connecting people to each other and to the world beyond.
Sustainable design objectives include: minimizing storm water run-off and heat absorption in parking areas and on roofs; ensuring good air quality; maximizing daylight and views; reducing water and energy usage; constructing with regionally obtained materials and using low-emitting paints, carpeting and composite wood products; and providing for day-to-day healthy operation and maintenance. LEED certification for the project is pending. BD+C
Related Stories
| Aug 26, 2014
Ranked: Top industrial sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Stantec, Jacobs, and Turner top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest industrial sector design and construction firms, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 26, 2014
High-rise concept uses 'sky street' to link towers [slideshow]
The design for a new complex in Shenzhen’s bay area consists of highly reflective glass towers, expansive garden space, and a horizontal glass structure that connects the buildings.
| Aug 25, 2014
Restoration of quake-ravaged Atascadero City Hall affirms city’s strength [2014 Reconstruction Awards]
The landmark city hall was severely damaged by the San Simeon earthquake in 2003. Reconstruction renewed the building’s stability, restored its exterior, and improved the functionality of the interior.
| Aug 25, 2014
Ranked: Top cultural facility sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Arup, Gensler, and Turner head BD+C's rankings of design and construction firms with the most revenue from cultural facility projects, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 25, 2014
Tall wood buildings: Surveying the early innovators
Timber has been largely abandoned as a structural solution in taller buildings during the last century, in favor of concrete and steel. Perkins+Will's Rebecca Holt writes about the firm's work in surveying the burgeoning tall wood buildings sector.
| Aug 25, 2014
'Vanity space' makes up large percentage of world's tallest buildings [infographic]
Large portions of some skyscrapers are useless space used to artificially enhance their height, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
| Aug 25, 2014
Photographer creates time-lapse video of 1 WTC using 30,000 photos
Choosing from 30,000 photos he took from the day construction began in 2006 to the day when construction was finished in 2012, Brooklyn-based photographer Benjamin Rosamund compressed 1,100 photos to create the two-minute video.
| Aug 25, 2014
Glazing plays key role in reinventing stairway design
Within the architectural community, a movement called "active design" seeks to convert barren and unappealing stairwells originally conceived as emergency contingencies into well-designed architectural focal points. SPONSORED CONTENT
| Aug 25, 2014
An easy trick for minimizing construction delays
About one out of every three construction projects is behind schedule or over budget, according to the Construction Industry Institute's Assessment of Owner Project Management Practices and Performance survey. SPONSORED CONTENT
| Aug 22, 2014
Before & After: Hospital upgrade shows shifting needs in healthcare construction
Community Hospice of Northeast Florida took an outdated 10-bed inpatient hospice unit and created a space that would meet the needs of patients receiving end of life care by creating a place that felt like home.