Perkins+Will has designed the new 367,000-sf home for Gateway Community College, the leading community college in Connecticut. Spanning two city blocks in downtown New Haven, the $198-million project will create a meaningful identity for the College and enhance the surrounding urban neighborhood.
The state’s first public building designed to be gold-certified in LEED and the largest one-time funded state development in Connecticut history, this entirely new campus relocates Gateway Community College to downtown New Haven and consolidates the school’s two existing campuses to serve more than 11,000 students.
Opening to students on September 4, 2012, the facility is an example of how thoughtful architecture can engage the city and contribute to significant urban revitalization.
Design highlights of the Gateway building are a light-filled multi-story atrium, a state-of-the-art Library and Learning Commons and spacious entry lobbies that connect the college to the city. The building also features classrooms for Gateway’s humanities, business, engineering, nursing/allied health, math/science and culinary arts programs.
Other features include a Community Center that will serve as a large public meeting space for lectures, events and group activities with a capacity for more than 300 people, faculty offices, student service areas and a 600-car parking garage. Perkins+Will located the more public elements of Gateway’s program at street level, with the cafeteria, bookstore, culinary arts program and art exhibition space all visible through storefront-style windows.
Perkins+Will’s design is planned around a multi-story atrium that connects the second, third and fourth levels of the building, and bridges over George Street to link the north and south buildings. The atrium serves as an interior, three-dimensional “street” that connects the main entry to the fourth floor, bringing daylight into the middle of the building and providing clear, intuitive access to all of the major spaces. Configured as a series of terraces linked by stairs and stadium-style seating, the atrium will become the primary gathering space for students and a link between academic spaces and faculty offices. Along the north side is a Learning Wall, a four-story, articulated surface that features inspirational messaging and is patterned with windows that bring natural light into interior classrooms. The bridge features a LED art installation by the art collective Electroland, with portraits that showcase the personalities that make the College unique.
The First Niagara Library and Learning Center anchors the southern end of the building and is defined by a curving, multi-story glass curtain wall that creates a dramatic expression when illuminated at night. The two-story space links a quiet lower floor, comprised of reading spaces and stacks for half of the library’s 50,000 books, with a more active upper level with spaces and seating for group-based learning. It will also feature the latest in interactive computer technology to help students gather information, analyze data and build knowledge.
Perkins+Will’s design for Gateway also features one main lobby and two supporting lobbies, which are all double-height with floor-to-ceiling windows, durable terrazzo floors, wood paneling and specialty lighting fixtures. The main lobby provides clear access from the Community Center and garage, as well as access to the elevators, escalator and stairs. Located at the intersection of Church and George Streets, the main lobby marks the southern corner of New Haven’s eighth square, which is part of the city’s historic “Nine Squares” layout and one of the earliest and most influential urban plans in America. +
Related Stories
75 Top Building Products | Dec 12, 2019
Top Building Envelope Products for 2019
Sto's beetle-inspired exterior coating and Dörken Systems' UV-resistant vapor-permeable barrier are among the 28 new building envelope products to make Building Design+Construction's 2019 101 Top Products report.
Architects | Dec 10, 2019
Calling all emerging architects: Enter to win the $20,000 Forge Prize
This annual steel design competition will recognize three Finalists ($10,000 each) and one Grand Prize Winner ($20,000 total) for their novel concepts in steel-based structures. Entries are due Jan. 15, 2020.
Architects | Dec 9, 2019
Jonathan Moody promoted to CEO of Moody Nolan
New four-member Executive Team also named.
Big Data | Dec 4, 2019
AEC data's coming out party
AEC firms are finally putting to use project information they’ve been storing in their computers for years.
Building Owners | Dec 2, 2019
What building owners and AEC teams need to know about New York’s Climate Mobilization Act
On April 18, 2019, the New York City Council passed the Climate Mobilization Act, a suite of laws aimed to meet the city’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
| Nov 26, 2019
Steinberg Hart and Holzman Moss Bottino Architecture combine to elevate design, expand opportunities and strengthen client relationships
This union creates a national architecture firm with enhanced design capabilities and expertise.
| Nov 8, 2019
Philadelphia architecture firm EwingCole acquires Baltimore firm Gaudreau
Philadelphia architecture firm EwingCole acquires Baltimore firm Gaudreau.
Multifamily Housing | Nov 7, 2019
Multifamily construction market remains strong heading into 2020
Fewer than one in 10 AEC firms doing multifamily work reported a decrease in proposal activity in Q3 2019, according to a PSMJ report.
Architects | Oct 29, 2019
Top takeaways from the Lean Construction Institute Congress 2019
More than 1,600 Lean experts gathered in Texas this month for LCI Congress 2019. Here are key takeaways from the event.
Giants 400 | Oct 25, 2019
Top 50 Airport Sector Architecture Firms for 2019
AECOM, Gensler, HNTB, Corgan, and HOK top the rankings of the nation's largest airport terminal sector architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2019 Giants 300 Report.