Page 37 - College Planning & Management, April 2017

Facility Focus
LANDSCAPES AND OUTDOOR LEARNING SPACES
Southern Connecticut State University
Academic Science and Laboratory Building
WHILE THE VAST major- ity of prominent design fea- tures at Southern Connecti-
cut State University’s (SCSU) Academic & Science Laboratory Building are incorpo- rated into the structure itself, its adjacent geological rock garden plays a prominent role within the “science enclave.”
In keeping with a theme that permeates Centerbrook Architects & Planners’ design of the 104,000-square-foot building that opened for the 2015-16 academic year on SCSU’s New Haven campus, the geological rock garden is a teaching tool as well as an expression of art.
Thomas Fleming, professor of earth science at SCSU, oversaw the collection of the stones, which are comprised of 52 different boulders indigenous to Con- necticut. Positioned along a spiraling pathway near the entrance of the build- ing, the geological garden is a hands-on educational display that also serves as an outdoor classroom.
Typical classroom rock and mineral samples are inches in size while geological garden rocks are measured in feet. This better simulates what is found in an actual rock outcrop in the field, and provides students with more realistic observations
regarding texture and orientation. At that scale, students can also measure features like foliation and bedding that are difficult to observe in a traditional classroom.
Numerous quarries across Connecticut donated the rocks, which also affords an opportunity to learn about their history and operations. For example, one of the sources — Stony Creek Quarry — has pro- vided its distinctive pink stone for many iconic buildings and monuments, includ- ing the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty and the foundations for the Brooklyn Bridge.
See a video of the project at https:// vimeo.com/142171216. CPM
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PHOTOS © NATHANIEL RILEY PHOTOGRAPHY