This new 50,000 square foot Sherrerd Hall was designed for the Department of Operations Research and Financial Engineering ORFE for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Princeton University. With this the new home for this department of the Engineering School, as well as the Department of Computer Information Technology Politics, students, faculty and staff in these fields have a multi-function teaching, learning, research and study facility needed to accommodate their growing collaborative studies. This building acts as an interdisciplinary hub between computer science, mathematics, engineering and social sciences.
The ethos of intellectual transparency and the light of knowledge drove the aesthetic of the building. Drawing formal influence from the nearby Mudd Library by Hugh Stubbins and Friend Center by Harry Cobb, Sherrerd Hall echoes their proportions and Modernist forms in a glass facade that reflects the fluctuating patterns and colors of nature and the changing seasons on the surface of the building. At dusk the building becomes a lantern for activities within. Visibility between the internal life of the building and the adjacent exterior campus life is maximized as well as visibility between circulation spaces, the atrium, lounges, classrooms and offices. Wood panels in the atrium space and details throughout the building add warmth to the interiors.
A simple plan organizes department offices and classrooms to maximize light and views, and directs circulation through a large interior atrium space, creating opportunity for casual encounters and interdisciplinary interaction between building users. A large bay defines the entry and draws the buildings inhabitants toward the outside. A porch above the bay provides outdoor access on the third floor. The artist Jim Isermann designed a dramatic sculptural chandelier for the atrium stairwell. The four story glass and stone structure contains a 66-seat lecture hall, classrooms, computer studios, an undergraduate lounge, as well as all ORFE and CITP department staff, faculty and graduate student offices.
Princeton University uses its own sustainability standards but this project would be qualified to receive a LEED Gold Rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. Sustainable elements include a green roof, a curtainwall system that exceeds energy code requirements, the use of low VOC paints and carpets, stormwater controls, and bike parking and changing facilities. FFP does not apply a standard kit for green design but uses a matrix of options to work with the Client to identify a sustainable strategy appropriate for each project, budget and climate.
A simple plan organizes department offices and classrooms to maximize light and views, and directs circulation through a large interior atrium space, creating opportunity for casual encounters and interdisciplinary interaction between building users. A large bay defines the entry and draws the buildings inhabitants toward the outside. A porch above the bay provides outdoor access on the third floor. The artist Jim Isermann designed a dramatic sculptural chandelier for the atrium stairwell. The four story glass and stone structure contains a 66-seat lecture hall, classrooms, computer studios, an undergraduate lounge, as well as all ORFE and CITP department staff, faculty and graduate student offices.
Princeton University uses its own sustainability standards but this project would be qualified to receive a LEED Gold Rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. Sustainable elements include a green roof, a curtainwall system that exceeds energy code requirements, the use of low VOC paints and carpets, stormwater controls, and bike parking and changing facilities. FFP does not apply a standard kit for green design but uses a matrix of options to work with the Client to identify a sustainable strategy appropriate for each project, budget and climate.