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 | Jun 29, 2015
Ensuring today’s medical education facilities fit tomorrow’s healthcare
Through thought-leading design, medical schools have the unique opportunity to meet the needs of today’s medical students and more fully prepare them for their future healthcare careers. Perkins+Will’s Heidi Costello offers five key design factors to improve and influence medical education.
University Buildings | May 30, 2015
Texas senate approves $3 billion in bonds for university construction
For the first time in nearly a decade, Texas universities could soon have some state money for construction.
University Buildings | May 19, 2015
Special Report: How your firm can help struggling colleges and universities meet their building project goals
Building Teams that want to succeed in the higher education market have to help their clients find new funding sources, control costs, and provide the maximum value for every dollar.
University Buildings | May 19, 2015
Renovate or build new: How to resolve the eternal question
With capital budgets strained, renovation may be an increasingly attractive money-saving option for many college and universities.
University Buildings | May 19, 2015
KU Jayhawks take a gander at a P3 development
The P3 concept is getting a tryout at the University of Kansas, where state funding for construction has fallen from 20% of project costs to about 11% over the last 10 years.
University Buildings | May 5, 2015
Where the university students are (or will be)
SmithGroupJJR's Alexa Bush discusses changing demographics and the search for out-of-state students at public universities.
BIM and Information Technology | Apr 9, 2015
How one team solved a tricky daylighting problem with BIM/VDC tools, iterative design
SRG Partnership's Scott Mooney describes how Grasshopper, Diva, Rhino, and 3D printing were utilized to optimize a daylighting scheme at Oregon State University's new academic building.
Sponsored | University Buildings | Apr 8, 2015
Student Housing: The fight against mold starts in the bathroom
University Buildings | Apr 8, 2015
The competitive advantage of urban higher-ed institutions
In the coming years, urban colleges and universities will outperform their non-urban peers, bolstered by the 77 million Millennials who prefer to live in dense, diverse, and socially rich environments, writes SmithGroupJJR's Michael Johnson.
University Buildings | Mar 18, 2015
Academic incubators: Garage innovation meets higher education
Gensler's Jill Goebel and Christine Durman discuss the role of design in academic incubators, and why many universities are building them to foster student growth.
