The vacant Dana Hall library building on Dartmouth College’s north campus was a 32,995-sf, 1960s building that became the anchor of the school’s north campus renewal plan. The building is being reimagined as a faculty and graduate student center.
Designed by Leers Weinzapfel Associates, the new building aspires for net zero energy use and will include new entrances for its surrounding buildings, a wide pedestrian bridge, and new circulation between buildings. The hope is the reimagined building will better connect the north campus to the green and main campus.
Rendering courtesy Leers Weinzapfel Associates.
See Also: Charles L. Tutt Library, Colorado College: Net-zero in the Rockies
An unused laboratory adjacent to Dana Hall will be demolished and an addition will be built in its place that houses the new building’s lobby and a cafe with a terrace overlooking a nearby green space. The renovated building’s upper floors will contain collegial faculty offices, classrooms, and places for student gathering. A penthouse level includes a solar paneled canopy and a south-facing planted terrace. In the basement there is a walk-out graduate student lounge that opens to a protected courtyard below a pedestrian bridge.
Rendering courtesy Leers Weinzapfel Associates.
Among the renovated buildings sustainability features are high R value terracotta-clad walls, solar panel canopy triple glazed windows, and south-facing glass with an expanded metal interlayer to limit summer sun. Before construction began, Dana Hall was stripped down to its concrete columns and slabs to remove existing hazardous materials.
The building is currently under construction and is slated to open for the 2020 Winter Term.
Related Stories
| Mar 12, 2014
14 new ideas for doors and door hardware
From a high-tech classroom lockdown system to an impact-resistant wide-stile door line, BD+C editors present a collection of door and door hardware innovations.
| Feb 25, 2014
Are these really the 'world's most spectacular university buildings'? [slideshow]
Emporis lists its top 13 higher education buildings from around the world. Do you agree with the rankings?
| Feb 24, 2014
First look: UC San Diego opens net-zero biological research lab
The facility is intended to be "the most sustainable laboratory in the world," and incorporates natural ventilation, passive cooling, high-efficiency plumbing, and sustainably harvested wood.
| Feb 14, 2014
Crowdsourced Placemaking: How people will help shape architecture
The rise of mobile devices and social media, coupled with the use of advanced survey tools and interactive mapping apps, has created a powerful conduit through which Building Teams can capture real-time data on the public. For the first time, the masses can have a real say in how the built environment around them is formed—that is, if Building Teams are willing to listen.
| Feb 13, 2014
University officials sound off on net zero energy buildings
As part of its ongoing ZNE buildings research project, Sasaki Associates, in collaboration with Buro Happold, surveyed some 500 campus designers and representatives on the top challenges and opportunities for achieving net-zero energy performance on university and college campuses.
| Feb 4, 2014
World's fifth 'living building' certified at Smith College [slideshow]
The Bechtel Environmental Classroom utilizes solar power, composting toilets, and an energy recovery system, among other sustainable strategies, to meet the rigorous performance requirements of the Living Building Challenge.
| Feb 4, 2014
Must see: Student housing complex made with recycled shipping containers
Architect Christian Salvati's new structure is just the first step in bringing shipping container construction to New Haven, Conn.
| Jan 31, 2014
6 considerations for rehabbing student union buildings
Most colleges and universities feel pressure to offer the latest amenities in order to attract and retain the best and brightest students. While hauling in the bulldozer to create modern facilities is attractive in some regards, deciding to renovate can be just as effective and, in some cases, even preferable to new construction.
| Jan 29, 2014
Notre Dame to expand football stadium in largest project in school history
The $400 million Campus Crossroads Project will add more than 750,000 sf of academic, student life, and athletic space in three new buildings attached to the school's iconic football stadium.
| Jan 28, 2014
16 awe-inspiring interior designs from around the world [slideshow]
The International Interior Design Association released the winners of its 4th Annual Global Excellence Awards. Here's a recap of the winning projects.