Page 44 - College Planning & Management, July/August 2017

TRANSFORMING BU CASTLE
challenges of maintaining a heavy sandstone building with leaded glass windows and little space to accommodate modern M/E/P systems were mounting.
Moving Forward in Time
Today the Castle is moving fully into the 21st century, transform- ing into a new Alumni Center. Located directly adjacent to the Lev- enthal Center, a gateway for university admissions, the Castle can be showcased to incoming students while providing a base for alumni.
The project includes an expansion at the lower level and im- provements include a new 1,000-square-foot commercial kitchen at the Pub level, providing for an expanded Pub menu, faculty dining at the first level (via lift) and on-site catering. The physical connection between the new Alumni Center and the Leventhal Center will provide full accessibility to the buildings’ public spaces. The primary goal of this project is to put alumni literally and figuratively at the heart of the Charles River campus. In this spirit, the Castle will continue to be an iconic, high profile location for numerous alumni, faculty and student events.
Here are five things our team did to the BU Castle to enable BU to make the most of this iconic building for its next 100 years:
1. Infrastructure: New utility services, and restoration of the
masonry exterior, original windows and slate roof.
2. M/E/P systems: For the first time, the building will receive a
comprehensive HVAC system. The high-efficiency VRF system was selected both for efficiency and for its ability to integrate with the elaborate historic interiors.
3. Access: BU will complete the connection to the Leventhal Cen- ter. A multi-stop elevator was installed when the Center project occurred, in anticipation of the future connection. The Pub level is being expanded, with excavation occurring to create a single accessible space.
4. Design: Seeing beyond the basic program requirements. Our team worked with BU to create a rooftop terrace on the addi- tion, thereby increasing the amount of available event space at the first floor — for the cost of the roof pavers!
5. Vision: Go bold. Heritage buildings have an inherent value in the memory and history of an institution that cannot be denied. Understand that the chance to renew them may come once in
a lifetime. BU moved to take the Castle into its next 100 years, and in so doing, will preserve its legacy and create a wholly unique space for its alumni.
Lessons Learned
Here are a few things colleges can do to assess older buildings for relevant uses:
1. Are there unfilled needs on campus that do not fit neatly into an
academic department “bucket?” What about gathering spaces, maker spaces, informal social areas? These types of spaces are not so specific in their functional requirements and can often find a home in an atypical structure.
2. Evaluate adjacent buildings and their program uses to reveal how the facility in question may be adapted to help support or serve as an extension space for those programs. “Gee, we really just wish we had some more space for our engineering majors to collabo- rate, or for our languages department to hold speaking competi- tions. Does it have to be in the buildings where they are now?”
3. Does the building have a history, and does it have “good bones?” Is it solidly built, is it beautiful, does it have meaning to our campus community?
The BU Castle is just one example of the unique ways in which
universities are elevating their identity and brand by repurposing historic buildings into useful and vibrant centers for events, meet- ings and activity. They enable and extend the life of these unique architectural jewels; and BU is demonstrating their commitment to honoring the past while looking to the future. CPM
Rebecca Berry, AIA, LEED-AP BD+C, is the president and a principal, as well as director of Sustainability, at Finegold Alexan- der Architects (www.faainc.com) in Boston. She can be reached at 617/227-9272 x217 or rberry@faainc.com.
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