Center for the Sciences

On Friday, May 27, Julie Bartley, Scott Bur, and Jeff Dahlseid visited Beloit College to see their recently opened science facility.  Planning began in the late 90s, but the building wasn’t dedicated until 2008.  Initially, the planning involved an “add and renovate” project, but it became clear during the process that a new facility made more sense.  Initial programming was done with Ellenzweig Associates, a little after Lawrence began their programming discussions.  The Beloit faculty decided to “sandbox” some classroom space and began reconfiguring existing spaces to try new pedagogy.  Eventually, the programs adopted a either a studio-style or a problem-based/process-oriented pedagogy.  Holabird and Root were contracted to conduct a second round of programming followed by schematic design and construction.  Things to note about this project are a) the dedication to pedagogy in driving the process b) the emphasis on common interaction spaces, and c) the green design features.

Here is a photo gallery of our visit.