SOM completes new Wellesley College Science Complex, an ‘interplay of old and new’ | New

SOM has just completed a major design project for the Wellesley College Science Complex after a construction period of five years.

The redesigned 97,000 square foot structure is made of solid wood with recycled zinc elements and involved the consolidation of several smaller academic buildings that were originally constructed on the Science Hill portion of campus between the 1920s and the late 1970s.

“We have redesigned the science center into a village for teaching, learning and research,” said Colin Koop, partner at SOM Design, in a press release. “The project is a thoughtful mix of removal, renovation and addition that will provide students and faculty with a more inviting and engaging experience.”

For the renovation portion of the project, SOM focused on the L Wing, a Perry, Dean, Stahl and Rogers designed addition to the former Gothic Revival Sage Hall which was first adopted in 1977 and has provided an ideal space for transformation.

The SOM team converted the structure’s 200-foot-long hallway into a “whiteboard walkway” while adding both a suspended outdoor terrace and a multi-story indoor atrium called the Focus that was installed in a new enclosed space between the modernist building and later Sage Hall. SOM retained a facade of the brick structure then demolished to integrate it into the new space; in the process, creating what they say creates an “interaction between the old and the new”.

The new structure is essentially a series of pavilions rendered in zinc and panels covered with ships and connected by the Chao Foundation Innovation Hub. The hardwood interior features a “cascade” of double- and triple-height classroom and lab spaces with breakout rooms offering views of the campus and surrounding landscapes.

Overall, the project will help Wellesley achieve its 2040 carbon neutral goals. The project has achieved LEED Platinum certification. In a press release, Wellesley President Paula A. Johnson said, “The new science complex will allow us to further our commitment to developing the next generation of inclusive STEM leaders by creating a collaborative center for teaching and research where students, faculty and staff discover and learn together.