A recently completed expansion and renovation of Wellesley College’s science complex yielded a modernized structure for 21st century STEM education while preserving important historical features. The project represents “one of the largest and most ambitious building
projects in the college’s modern history,” according to Wellesley College and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the project’s architects.
The building’s signature space, the Focus, a multi-story atrium, was created by enclosing the space between an L-shaped wing and the neighboring Sage Hall. The neo-Gothic brick facade of Sage Hall forms one wall within the modernist atrium, creating an interplay between old and new. Renovation of the L-wing preserved the architectural integrity of the space, including the original brick wall, while demolishing the rest of Sage Hall to make way for the addition. With expansive laboratory spaces and exposed concrete and mechanical systems, the L-wing boldly contrasts with the more traditional architectural styles of the Wellesley campus.
The project encompasses Science Hill—the setting for multiple science facilities. It linked the existing Whitin Observatory, the Global Flora Conservatory, the arboretum, and the botanic gardens. The new complex is immersed in a reimagined landscape, which introduces new gardens that will be used for scientific and ecological pedagogy. As part of the curriculum, the landscape will be installed by students and faculty next spring.
The new structure, distinguished by a ship-lapped, zinc-paneled facade, was conceived as a series of pavilions with strong connections to the outdoors. The interior layout organizes similar fields of study together, situating classrooms, faculty offices, and laboratories according to discipline.
A central spine, the Chao Foundation Innovation Hub, connects the mix of old and new buildings and makes them intuitive to navigate. Built with mass timber, this multistory cascade of spaces offers double- and triple-height interiors with views of the landscape. Breakout areas fill the space, with windows that reveal the laboratory spaces in the surrounding buildings, putting science on display and enhancing the sense of a village atop Science Hill.
The project significantly improved the Science Complex’s sustainability performance and plays a key role in the college’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2040. Before this project, the science buildings consumed more energy than any other areas on campus. Now, the complex is among the most environmentally efficient. Design measures such as stormwater capture, new piping and mechanical systems, more natural lighting, the use of mass timber and recycled zinc, and the preservation of as much of the original structures as possible, helped the project achieve LEED Platinum certification.
On the Building Team:
Owner and/or developer: Wellesley College
Design architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Architect of record: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
MEP engineer: BR+A Consulting Engineers
Structural engineer: Le Messurier
General contractor/construction manager: Turner Construction Company
Related Stories
| Jun 12, 2014
Austrian university develops 'inflatable' concrete dome method
Constructing a concrete dome is a costly process, but this may change soon. A team from the Vienna University of Technology has developed a method that allows concrete domes to form with the use of air and steel cables instead of expensive, timber supporting structures.
| Jun 12, 2014
SmithGroup finishes 100th LEED-certified project
With the construction of the LEED-NC Platinum Oakland University Human Health Building, constructed in Rochester, Michigan, SmithGroupJJR recently achieved its 100th LEED certified project.
| Jun 11, 2014
5 ways Herman Miller's new office concept rethinks the traditional workplace
Today's technologies allow us to work anywhere. So why come to an office at all? Herman Miller has an answer.
| Jun 9, 2014
6 design strategies for integrating living and learning on campus
Higher education is rapidly evolving. As we use planning and design to help our clients navigate major shifts in culture, technology, and funding, it is essential to focus on strategies that help foster an education that is relevant after graduation. One way to promote relevance is to strengthen the bond between academic disciplines and the campus residential life experience.
| Jun 9, 2014
Green Building Initiative launches Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors program
The new program focuses exclusively on the sustainable design and construction of interior spaces in nonresidential buildings and can be pursued by both building owners and individual lessees of commercial spaces.
| Jun 9, 2014
10 projects named 2014 AIA Small Project Award winners
Yale's funky new Ground café and a pavilion made from 53,780 recycled plastic bottles are among the nation's best new small projects.
| Jun 2, 2014
Parking structures group launches LEED-type program for parking garages
The Green Parking Council, an affiliate of the International Parking Institute, has launched the Green Garage Certification program, the parking industry equivalent of LEED certification.
| May 29, 2014
7 cost-effective ways to make U.S. infrastructure more resilient
Moving critical elements to higher ground and designing for longer lifespans are just some of the ways cities and governments can make infrastructure more resilient to natural disasters and climate change, writes Richard Cavallaro, President of Skanska USA Civil.
Sponsored | | May 27, 2014
Grim Hall opens the door to fire safety with fire-rated ceramic glass
For the renovation of Lincoln University’s Grim Hall life sciences building into a state-of-the-art computer facility, Tevebaugh Associates worked to provide students and faculty with improved life safety protection. Updating the 1925-era facility's fire-rated doors was an important component of the project.
| May 23, 2014
Top interior design trends: Gensler, HOK, FXFOWLE, Mancini Duffy weigh in
Tech-friendly furniture, “live walls,” sit-stand desks, and circadian lighting are among the emerging trends identified by leading interior designers.
