Replacing A Beloved Building With A Hybridparesky Student Center, Williams College

摘要

Campus design is notoriously challenging. The shifting interests of students, alumni, donors, operations, dining services, administrators, faculty, neighbourhood review boards and local activists have had a chilling impact on the most notable design firms. In the case of the recently completed Paresky Student Center, all parties agree: Polshek Partnership never tired of the spirit of democracy at Williams College.rnThe challenge at Williams was to design a new structure loaded with programme - kitchen and dining service facilities, seating in three venues, a performance space for lectures and stage production - in the middle of a tight cluster of landmark buildings. Expanding and upgrading the campus centre for 2,000 students at this selective liberal arts college in the hills of western Massachusetts involved producing a building that could exert the same centripetal force as its predecessor, the 'beloved' Baxter Hall, and particularly its elliptical gathering spot the Snackbar. At the same time, the architects were charged with producing a building in keeping with Williams' increasingly bold institution-wide commitment to environmentally sustainable practices, a commitment that is among the strongest in US higher education.