flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Weiser Hall, University of Michigan: Campus upgrade

Reconstruction Awards

Weiser Hall, University of Michigan: Campus upgrade

A Mid-century building becomes home to a new International Institute.


By John Caulfield, Senior Editor | November 19, 2018

The renovation of Weiser Hall, a Mid-century academic building at the University of Michigan, provides new daylit spaces, community clusters, greater accessibility, and sustainable design features. The building had been mostly vacant since 2014, when the astronomy department moved out.

Weiser Hall is now home to the university’s International Institute and associated programs of the College of Literature, Science and the Arts. (It is named after Board of Regents member Ron Weiser, who has committed $90 million to the university.) Improvements include 98,000 sf of barrier-free, gender-neutral, code-compliant space.

Each of Weiser Hall’s 10 floors accommodates learning spaces, meeting rooms, glazed offices, conference rooms, and student and staff lounges. The abiding renovation strategy was to open up the space and foster collaboration by reorienting closed offices to face open ones.

The ground floor has been turned into a multipurpose learning space adjacent to a feature stair amphitheater. On the southwest corner, the project team stacked four double-height commons that overlook an area visible from the main pedestrian thoroughfare and quad on the central campus.

Each common space has a two-story biofilter living wall that is connected to the HVAC system. The biowalls remove VOCs and moderate indoor temperatures.

The 10th floor was reconfigured as an event space, art gallery, and boardroom by removing columns and raising a section of the roof.

Thermal-efficient windows and mechanical systems, including chilled-beam cooling, were installed. The brick façade was restored to maintain Weiser Hall’s aesthetic alignment with the rest of the campus.

Interiors have been modernized through lighting design and digital displays. Solid walnut was used in the feature stair, doors, and butcher-block millwork.

Weiser Hall is Diamond Schmitt’s third project for the university. It was preceded by the Computer Science and Engineering Building and Thayer Academic Building.

 

Weiser Hall interior living wallPhoto: Tom Arban Photography.

 

Gold Award Winner

BUILDING TEAM Diamond Schmitt Architects (submitting firm, architect) University of Michigan (owner) EJC Engineers (SE) Crossley Engineering (M/E) DeMaria Building Company (GC) DETAILS 99,500 sf Total cost $37 million Construction time December 2015 to April 2018 Delivery method Design-bid-build

 

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE 2018 RECONSTRUCTION AWARDS LANDING PAGE

Related Stories

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 27, 2017

The birthplace of General Motors

The automotive giant salvages the place from which it sprang, 131 years ago.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 21, 2017

Honor Guard: San Francisco’s historic Veterans Building pays homage to those who served in World War I and other foreign wars

The Veterans Building houses the War Memorial staff, the city’s Arts Commission, the Opera’s learning center and practice/performance node, the Green Room reception venue, and the 916-seat Herbst Theatre.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 20, 2017

Eyes wide open: Students can see their new home’s building elements

The two-phase project revamped an opaque, horseshoe-shaped labyrinth of seven buildings from the ’60s and ’70s.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 17, 2017

Gray lady no more: A facelift erases a landmark’s wrinkles, but not her heritage

The Building Team restored the granite and terra cotta façade and reclaimed more than 500 double-hung windows.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 17, 2017

Elegance personified: New life for a neglected but still imposing retail/office space

The building was in such disrepair that much of the reconstruction budget had to go toward structural, mechanical, and electrical infrastructure improvements.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 16, 2017

Back to the '20s: Coney Island gets a new eatery reminiscent of the past

This project included the restoration of the landmark Childs Restaurant.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 15, 2017

Foyer fantastique: Faded images provide the key to a historic theater's lobby restoration

The restoration relied heavily on historic photos and drawings.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 14, 2017

Hallowed ground: A Mormon temple rises from the ashes of a fire-ravaged historic tabernacle

Parts of the tabernacle’s exterior shell were the only things that survived the blaze.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 13, 2017

Harlem Renaissance: A vacant school provides much-needed housing and a clubhouse for children

Word that PS 186 might be demolished brought out the preservationists, whose letter-writing campaign gained the support of the New York Landmarks Conservancy.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Giants 400

BD+C Awards Programs

Entry information and past winners for Building Design+Construction's two major awards programs: 40 Under 40 and Giants 400



halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021