The new Williams College campus bookstore includes everything you’d expect in a college bookstore plus a coffee shop, a dedicated area that can be sanctioned off for events and special talks, indoor/outdoor leisure spaces for the community, and a sustainable design that earned LEED Platinum designation.
The CambridgeSeven-designed building used local materials such as granite and bricks for the building’s exterior. A glazing to wall ratio of 24%, insulated glass with integral wood louvers, and an exterior brise soleil for enhanced thermal protection help the building achieve an Energy Use Intensity (EUI) rating of 39. The thicker than average, tightly sealed, insulated walls also help the bookstore achieve the EUI that is 41% better than baseline.
Courtesy Williams College.
A stormwater management system helps keep stormwater runoff equal to the pre-development levels. This system includes a rain garden, deep sump catch basins, and underground detention to capture stormwater from roofs and new paving before it runs off the site.
See Also: Best in library design 2018: Six projects earn AIA/ALA library awards
The building does not use any gas, only electricity. As such, the PV array on the roof was designed to form a dynamic part of the building’s presence on Spring Street.
Other features include birch plywood ceilings and fabric paneled hidden doors to section off the café space for programming. In addition to the building design, CambridgeSeven also designed the building’s furniture and finishes.
Courtesy Williams College.
Courtesy Williams College.
Courtesy Williams College.
Courtesy Williams College.
Courtesy Williams College.
Courtesy Williams College.
Related Stories
University Buildings | Jan 27, 2020
St. Edward’s University reveals new Recreation and Athletic Center
Specht Architects designed the building.
University Buildings | Jan 6, 2020
Making it: Gen Z learns by doing
This fundamental shift in learning style will have an impact on higher-education space planning.
University Buildings | Dec 17, 2019
Two LMN Architects-designed academic science buildings move forward for completion next year
These facilities will bring several disciplines under one roof.
University Buildings | Dec 12, 2019
HOK will design the Florida Gators new football facility
The facility will be named after longtime donor to the University of Florida and the University Athletic Association James W. “Bill” Heavener.
Wood | Dec 6, 2019
The University of Arkansas is now home to America’s largest mass timber building
A design collaborative led by Leers Weinzapfel Associates, Modus Studio, Mackey Mitchell Architects, and OLIN designed the project.
University Buildings | Nov 1, 2019
Design unveiled for the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy building
LEO A DALY, in association with VJAA, designed the building.
University Buildings | Oct 28, 2019
Eight projects showcase the latest trends in student housing
Join us on a tour of select student residences at some of America’s top four-year colleges and universities.
University Buildings | Oct 10, 2019
Duke’s Hollows Quad residence halls provide housing for 700 upperclassmen
William Rawn Architects designed the project.
Libraries | Oct 2, 2019
Temple University’s Charles Library includes a ‘BookBot’ storage and retrieval system
The project was designed by Stantec and Snøhetta.
University Buildings | Sep 30, 2019
UMass Amherst’s Worcester Commons to be built on an existing parking lot
Shawmut, in partnership with Perry Dean Rogers and Connor Architecture, are designing the project.
