2nd Place - $500.00 prizeSubmitted by:
DuBose Associates, Inc. Architects
Craig C. Saunders, AIA
49 Woodland Street
Hartford CT 06105
P: 860-249-9387
email: craig.saunders@dbarch.comLocation of application:
Tunxis Community College, 271 Scott Swamp Road, Farmington CT 06032Aside from providing new facilities in two buildings housing a new library in one and academic space, offices, as well science, art and dental labs in the other, the design brief for new facilities to enlarge Tunxis Community College focused on making the school feel more like a four year college and encouraging students to stay on campus to study and interact in a more collegiate environment. The new library was the obvious centerpiece for fulfilling this approach.
The design team's challenge was to create a state-of-the-art library facility using contemporary materials and design strategies, that also conveyed public spaces and reading rooms projecting a "classical collegiate library" feel, and to do this within a relatively modest budget.
The solution was to create a "classic" library public space based on traditional forms rendered in contemporary materials and finishes. The focus of the solution is a two-story central space with a grand stair in the classical tradition, providing access to galleries and reading space above that has a substantial yet contemporary feel.
The materials used were wood paneling in a warm maple hue and custom rails with perforated metal inserts instead of pickets or metal mesh.
The design team and the college have been very pleased with the result which is classical in approach, substantial in feel, but has a contemporary "edge" in its execution.
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