Phev41 n1 article_revitalizing

Revitalizing Newcomb Hall for the 21st Century: Renovating and Expanding the University of Virginia’sStudent Union CenterA Model of Collaborative Design and Integrated Planningfor Sustainable Preservation by Jonathan Moore

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Newcomb Hall is a multipurpose student activities center on the grounds of the University of Virginia (UVA), a nationally-ranked coeducational university founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson in Charlottesville with a current student enrollment of 21,000 (14,000 undergraduates). UVA is upgrading and modernizing Newcomb Hall as a showcase of adaptable reuse and sustainable design. Through collaborative planning, these renovations and additions will increase the life of the building and its functional efficiency.

Named after John Lloyd Newcomb, UVA president from 1931 to 1947, this slate-roofed, brick building was completed in 1958. The current project commenced in the spring of 2009 and is on target for completion in December 2012. Total project costs are estimated at $33.2 million, $15.2 million for renovations and $18 million for expanded square footage. UVA officials estimated that construction costs for an entirely new student center would have been upward of $75 to $80 million; thus, approximately $45 to $50 million was saved through building reuse.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The project goal was the renovation and modernization of an existing 1950s-era structure serving as a multipurpose student center for the university. Objectives included:

• Integrating sustainable planning and design components into the existing building, thereby enhancing sustainability through building reuse, as well as converting Newcomb Hallʼs functions to reinforce and further the universityʼs educational mission for the 21st century. That mission dates back to Thomas Jeffersonʼs vision for the university as an academic environment facilitating the acquisition of knowledge, constructive dialogue, and a free exchange of ideas for the advancement of American democracy.

• Creating minimal displacement of building activities during the three-phase renovation/addition upgrade.

• Maintaining Newcomb Hallʼs “appearance integrity” while modernizing its internal structure to meet 21st-century academic requirements.

Planning for Higher Education V41N1 | 1

• Creating a complementary academic environment in concert with other outlets on the grounds. [1]

Reports outlining interior/exterior maintenance upgrades, along with other aesthetic improvements, were prepared by several offices within the university. Capital planning at UVA involves collaboration among the Office of Facilities Management; the Office of the Architect; Office of Management and Budget officials; contracted architects, engineers, and contractors; and building tenants. In this case, “tenants” refers to the Office of the Dean of Students and to students and faculty, who provided direct input. The Office of Facilities Management and the Office of the Architect also submitted project plans to the universityʼs Board of Visitors (BOV), which is appointed by the governor and comprised of 17 members who oversee university policies, budgets, and academic initiatives. BOV members are also considered caretakers of the universityʼs traditions.

In early 2009, UVA’s architects and the Office of Facilities Management selected an Alexandria, Virginia-based design firm to identify immediate structural renovations and recommend requirements incorporating style, function, and logistical planning. UVA’s renovation/expansion needs were defined on several levels, from multipurpose student activities to administrative uses by UVA personnel and alumni. Interior space enlargement; overhaul of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems; and upgrades to student service facilities were integral components of this three-phase project.

Installation of new technology infrastructure—computer equipment, Wi-Fi outlets, big-screen monitors—along with revamped retail space and additional square footage capacity for student services were top-priority objectives in the conversion of this 1950s-era building into a 21st-century sustainable structure designed to facilitate a collaborative learning and social environment (figure 1).


Figure 1 The Revitalized Newcomb Hall

The new west-side entry is now the main entrance to Newcomb Hall.

Source: Artist sketch courtesy of Acme Digital.

HISTORY/BUILDING MISSION

The universityʼs need for a comprehensive student activities center arose in the early 1950s to address the following circumstances:

• Response to the post–World-War-II student enrollment boom, sparked in large measure by a federal GI Bill for returning veterans.

• Promotion by UVA president (and former Virginia governor) Colgate Darden, who served as president from 1947 to 1959. Darden believed that a dedicated student union, open to the entire student body, would facilitate greater academic equality and creativity. He also wanted to address the shortage of space for student gatherings and activities. It was President Dardenʼs belief that a central gathering place on the grounds would be a focal point for the university and reduce social pressures for students who declined to join exclusive social clubs, even though Darden made no move to ban those clubs as some had initially feared. The new student union would be named in honor of John Lloyd Newcomb, Dardenʼs immediate predecessor, who passed away around the time of initial construction in 1953–54.

Newcomb Hall remains a visual and cultural focal point within UVAʼs historic central grounds (figure 2).


Figure 2 UVA Central Grounds Site Map

Newcomb Hall is #30 on the map.

Source: University of Virginia web site: www.virginia.edu/webmap/ACentralGrounds.html.

To function effectively as a multipurpose activities center, the design plans called for structural upgrades covering a variety of activities. Integral to these plans was the installation of the same new technologies (Wi-Fi, intra-university department connections, big-screen monitors, study rooms) as in nearby Alderman Library (building #1 in figure 2), UVAʼs central library. Updating technology outlets in Newcomb Hall will make it a complementary academic gathering space to the library for reflective study, as well as a more appropriate venue for presentations and group meetings. This planning concept creates an area more attuned to student interaction, versus the inherently more sedate library environment.


http://www.virginia.edu/webmap/ACentralGrounds.html


Activities housed in Newcomb Hall include the offices of UVAʼs Student Council and Honor Committee, student and retail dining facilities (including a food court and convenience store), a ballroom, a movie theater (also used as a lecture auditorium), an art gallery, a post office, a student services center, individual and group study areas, and the offices of The Cavalier Daily, UVAʼs student-run newspaper. Space is also being renovated and/or enlarged for conference rooms serving students, faculty, and university administrators.

Located near UVAʼs iconic Rotunda (building #34 in figure 2), the Main Lawn, and the Academical Village and adjacent to the universityʼs bookstore and central parking garage, Newcomb Hall provides an important first impression for incoming students and other visitors. Therefore, maintaining the integrity of the buildingʼs exterior features, in the context of the universityʼs historic character, was and remains a major objective for the design and facilities management team.

DESCRIPTION OF RENOVATIONS/ADDITIONS

The main renovation/addition focus of UVAʼs design and planning team involved improving and modernizing multifunctional space within a modern aesthetic environment. Comprehensive design and planning have resulted in aesthetics and functionality coexisting in equanimity.

This project was planned, designed, and constructed in three phases with the priority objective of continuing Newcomb Hallʼs daily operations with only minimal and temporary relocation of student activities. Upon completion, 55,700 square feet of renovations and 15,500 square feet of additions will transform a 165,400-square-foot building into a 184,000-square-foot modernized structure able to meet the needs of 21,000 undergraduate and graduate students, with an estimated 150 additional students each academic year. Additional square footage along Newcombʼs west side includes expansion of the first-floor food court and second-floor dining hall areas, a new dedicated west-side main entryway with a new portico, and a dedicated theater entrance on the first floor directly from the plaza. The design planʼs footprint expands the building, which is situated on a sloping hillside, out rather than up, creating an extension toward the west plaza between Newcomb Hall and the university bookstore and parking garage. Some highlights of Newcomb Hallʼs renovations include:

BALLROOM

These renovations focused on maintaining the visual context of ballroom space while upgrading with new energy-efficient windows (windows were in the original project plan, but have now been delayed for three to five years), new solid-wood maple flooring in a herringbone pattern, energy-efficient lighting, state-of-the-art audio/visual (A/V) systems, new acoustical wall panels, new acoustical ceiling plaster, and wall finishes and trim (figure 3). Architect recommendations also called for maple-wood flooring in the adjacent Main Lounge and a new terrazzo floor in the nearby Art Gallery room.


Figure 3 Renovated Ballroom

The refurbished ballroom features a maple-wood floor in a herringbone pattern.

Source: Photograph by Jonathan Moore.

FOOD COURT AND DINING HALL

Upgrades include installation of a new terrazzo floor, a coffered gypsum board/acoustical tile ceiling, new wall finishes, and new light fixtures. In the first-floor food court and second-floor main dining hall, new counters, appliances, and storage areas were installed, along with new facilities for food preparation (figure 4). With the enlarged food court and dining hall space, special consideration was given to waterproofing and HVAC requirements and to new light fixtures and plumbing networks. Additional dining hall seating is part of the west-side build-out expansion.


Figure 4 Upgraded Food Court/Dining Hall

Upgrades include several new food station islands in the dining hall.

Source: Sketch courtesy of Tipton Associates.

NEWCOMB THEATER

This space acts as both a cinema and a lecture/orientation hall to accommodate events ranging from the Virginia Film Festival and evening movies on weekends to admissions/orientation sessions and guest lectures. Renovated features include upgraded lighting, acoustical wall panels, a painted floor base with carpet overlay, additional seating capacity (including accessible seating), HVAC upgrades, and a new AV booth. The most notable change involved touch-ups to the existing elevated stage. Though not spaced for performance grade, this platform can accommodate a speakerʼs lectern and chairs for discussion panel forums, and new projection equipment and screens will better enable weekly presentations of university-based programs and/or feature films. Retrofit for ADA-compliant access is factored in, as with other areas of the building. A dedicated entry to the theater is being added that features a stairwell leading from the plaza directly to the basement level and theater—areas that can be accessed by students and faculty (using secure entry cards) when other parts of the building are closed.

BASEMENT SPACE

Once the site of a bowling alley, the basement space was converted to a multimedia center with a host of modern technology features, including Internet/Wi-Fi connections and flat-screen computer panels, as well as updated furniture (figure 5). The primary goal here was transforming a formerly cramped area to a brightly lit interactive student activity space for independent study and student-organization activities. HVAC ducts were painted and left exposed on the ceiling, creating a more spacious and bright effect. Organizations such as The Cavalier Daily have new glassed-in partition walls that separate and define their offices from individual and group study areas.


Figure 5 Renovated Basement Space

Adjacent to other student services, renovated basement-level space features several independent study areas.

Source: Photograph by Hoachlander Davis Photography, Washington, DC.

LOBBY/ENTRYWAY

A major visual change to Newcomb Hallʼs exterior facade is the enhanced west-side entryway from the plaza area, highlighted by a new columned portico that faces the primary visitor parking structure and adjacent university bookstore (figures 6, 7, and 8). This design approach transforms what was formerly a nondescript rear entryway into a new (main) front entrance. This “entrance swap” provides students and visitors with a more formal introduction to the grounds and reinforces Newcomb Hallʼs role as an integral component of the university community serving all students. As defined by UVAʼs associate dean of management and finance, the new first-floor entryway—featuring brighter and wider corridors—signals that student services, not retail outlets, are Newcomb Hallʼs primary mission. Symbolizing the universityʼs quest to foster intellectual development, the student center provides a “gateway” to the rest of the academic grounds.


Figure 6 New West-Side Entrance

Under construction when this photo was taken, the new west-side entrance features a new portico facing West Plaza.


Figure 7 East-Side Entrance

The east-side entrance is the former main entryway.



Figure 8 New West-Side Facade

This sketch of the completed west-side facade shows the new plaza-facing entrance portico.

Source: Sketch courtesy of Acme Digital.

Comprehensive design and planning have resulted in aesthetics and functionalitycoexisting in equanimity.

NEW DESIGN TECHNOLOGIES

Structural design technologies for Newcomb Hall incorporate a host of new features that enhance interactive collaborative communication within the sanctity of an academic environment. Architects and planners are working toward LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification [2]—a major accomplishment in the retrofit of a 1950s-era building. The new sustainable (“green”) technologies featured include:

• Using energy-saving water and lighting devices, skylights, and recycled building materials.

• Conserving “footprint” space by renovating the existing building with minimal structural expansion; also, creating energy and cost savings through preservation versus energy and cost expended through razing and new construction.

• Integrating a permeable air barrier and “cavity closures” to seal the new addition to the existing building, effectively creating a single building envelope. This enhances the HVAC efficiency and lowers building operation costs. (Permeable air barriers are a new evolutionary feature in building science that address the “breathability” of a building while mitigating condensation and mold and related problems.)


• Replacing window frames with “aluminum clad” assemblies—wood frames with aluminum-clad coating. This extends the window frame life-cycle and reduces weather-related maintenance costs. These window frames will maintain Newcomb Hallʼs visual contextual integrity.

• Using energy-saving HVAC systems that rely less on fossil-fuel consumption.

• Upgrading accessibility compliance with lifts and access ramps in areas previously approachable only by stairways.

• Updating the electronic interface with Internet/Wi-Fi connections to allow information sharing among students via laptop and big-screen monitor connections. This provides new communications approaches for a collaborative learning environment.

PRINCIPLES BEHIND THE DESIGN

The primary goal of the project was to upgrade Newcomb Hall within UVAʼs traditional design and pastoral landscape setting. This was achieved by employing “contextual” renovations complementing traditional architectural styles while simultaneously upgrading to modern technologies and conveniences for current and future student classes. UVA officials reviewed models from other academic institutions with similarly renovated student union facilities, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia; and the Frist Campus Center at Princeton University in New Jersey.

The Frist Campus Center was of particular interest to UVA planners. The first student center of its type at Princeton, the Frist Center houses multiple student services ranging from classrooms and space for student organizations to a dining hall, retail venues, and student/faculty lounges. Like Newcomb Hall, the Frist Center is an activity hub in a central location. UVA’s design team focused on several “Frist factors,” including:

• Modernizing an older building to serve current and future generations of students while retaining a visual heritage with surrounding structures.

• Maintaining a traditional entryway while upgrading an opposite-side entrance.

• Developing renovations that integrate student life and academic components, thus keeping the focus on student needs and avoiding a flashy “megacenter” approach within the learning environment.

UVAʼs unique setting and historic architectural style offered its own canvass for revitalizing an existing structure. Most of the visual challenges with renovating Newcomb Hall were interior-based—technology connections, space enlargement/reconfiguration, new light fixtures, paint schemes, wall panels, etc. Yet this process has been so thorough with respect to detail that UVA officials say visiting alumni will readily recognize Newcomb Hallʼs original layout and appearance.


UNIQUE AND NOTEWORTHY ASPECTS

There are two particularly unique and noteworthy aspects of this project of interest to planners, designers, and facilities managers:

• The project involved the sustainable conversion of a heavily used student center by increasing building square footage to meet contemporary needs while at the same time retaining its historic “appearance integrity” with adjacent structures on the UVA grounds.

• The project’s design and planning phases factored in minimal disruption to building functions. This necessitated logistical planning, the coordination of timetables, and collaboration among the UVA Office of Facilities Management, the Office of the Architect, students, faculty, university administration officials, building maintenance staff, and contract architects. Advanced planning successfully relocated (and rotated) student services/activities to various parts of the building, thereby mitigating the construction of temporary quarters. The only exception was the renovation of the second-floor dining hall, where temporary dining quarters were housed in an adjacent prefabricated structure (figure 9). Upon the dining hallʼs completion in December 2012, this prefab facility will be dismantled.

Figure 9 Temporary Dining Hall

The temporary dining hall “tent” will be dismantled in early 2013.



OBJECTIVES AND GENERAL PURPOSE OF THE DESIGN

In accordance with the objectives of the university, the design and planning team’s main objective was the successful implementation of long-term upgrade investments in a building that had already undergone extensive renovations in prior years. Another major focus involved lengthening service time in order to reduce maintenance costs, increase functional efficiency and capacity, and delay future upgrades. (In other words, investing up front to realize longer-term dividends.) Since its construction in 1958, Newcomb Hall has been renovated several times, in 1965, 1980, 1982, and 1997–98; these continued upgrades were necessitated by increases in enrollment along with increased demands for academic support systems and activity spaces. In this latest renovation, collaborative planning among architects, facilities management staff, and contractors has been based on forward projections of student needs. Planning elements incorporate not only what is needed for the next few years, but also what will be useful decades from now. As such, UVA has actively sought—and benefited from—the input of students regarding their needs and desires for Newcomb Hall. Structurally and logistically, Newcomb Hall cannot expand out, so the goal is to create a flexible environment within. “It’s the same Newcomb Hall, but upgraded and modernized to meet current needs,” says UVAʼs supervisory project manager. “Wherever new additions were made, design projections were based on the latest in construction technologies. Yet the overall plan of conforming to original building specifications was respected.” Thus, one of the unique aspects of this renovation project is its balance between modernizing a building and retaining its original “envelope core” (figure 10).

Figure 10 Newcomb Hall Site Plan Overview

West Plaza

Source: Site plan by Cole & Denny Inc.


Planning elements incorporate not only what is needed for the next few years,but also what will be useful decades from now.

Another unique aspect was that the project scope grew in stages. Original planning started in the basement level, and, as that proceeded, a domino effect took hold. One change led to another in what would become a three-phase, bottom-to-top renovation process. University officials emphasized the importance of creating an amortized cost schedule—in other words, front-loading costs for project investments, which ultimately leads to cost and time savings in future years.

INPUT/INVOLVEMENT WITH STAKEHOLDERS

Stakeholder input/involvement has been successfully achieved on a collaborative basis among UVAʼs Board of Visitors, the Office of the Architect, the Office of Facilities Management, and the Office of the Dean of Students. UVAʼs architectural historian and landscape architect also provided invaluable counsel. According to the Office of the Architect, this has been a successful, coordinated team effort by all interested parties (Newcomb Hallʼs end users) since the projectʼs inception in 2009. Collaborative participation has been necessary to address the university’s needs and implement planning goals as defined by UVA students, faculty, and administrators. One of these planning goals included designing for long-term building use projections in order to prevent the need for costlier renovations in the near future and achieve structural sustainability and energy-cost savings.

CHALLENGES/PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED

Because Newcomb Hallʼs project scope expanded beyond its original plan, the design and facilities management teams had to address design changes throughout the process. University officials eventually opted for multiple-point renovations, which they viewed as preferable to piecemeal renovations that would complicate future planning strategies. Incremental project expansion required the design, engineering, and contracting teams to make constant adjustments and, in some instances, alter respective plans and priorities. Occasional complications arose from the inherent difficulties of dealing with a building that had undergone previous alterations. Further, the requirements of 21st-century collegiate activities are significantly different from those of the late 1950s. Interactive study areas and new electrical support components are now required, and the growing student population and the student services it requires have radically changed. At the time Newcomb Hall was originally built, the student body was a fraction of its current size, in part because UVA in 1958 was an all-male school. (UVA became coed in 1971.) Laptops and hand-held wireless devices are a far cry from the venerable and weighty typewriter, and emerging issues and interests have spawned a host of new student organizations. All these factors required additional collaborative planning by the Newcomb Hall design team and necessitated additional communication with the building’s users (figure 11).


Figure 11 Communication with Building Users


SUCCESSFUL OUTCOMES

Ahead of the projected December 2012 completion date, successful outcomes are apparent throughout the revamped student center, which bustles with activity while exterior construction continues (figures 12, 13, and 14). Design and planning staff factored in additional costs for maintaining building occupancy to the greatest extent possible during renovation work. College and university planners should note several successes in the Newcomb Hall renovations:

• The project incorporated sustainable building reuse and implemented features that will reduce maintenance costs through longer effective use and reduced frequency of future upgrades.

• Constant communication between design and planning officials helped keep this important student center functional during project phases covering a three-year period.

• The use of sustainable materials and new technologies will reduce energy and maintenance costs while keeping the building in contextual appearance with adjacent structures.

• Factoring in additional capacity for future student activities and services will help maintain Newcomb Hall as a hub of student life on the grounds, thereby sustaining its original mission.


• The minimal expansion of the current building footprint realized financial/environmental cost savings versus the construction of a new structure. Recycling an existing building is the foundation of sustainable “green” building principles.

Figure 12 First-Floor Main Corridor

The first-floor main entryway corridor was widened to allow additional space for student lounges.



Figure 13 Third-Floor Conference Room


Figure 14 Third-Floor Meeting Room/Classroom



LESSONS LEARNED

Following a site meeting with Connie Warnock, UVAʼs assistant university architect, and Bill Ashby, associate dean of management and finance, the author compiled their reflections on the planning and design aspects that resulted in a successful renovation project:

• Collaborative cooperation and communication among the university facilities manager, university architects, contract architects, and construction contractors was key, with all parties respecting and relying on each otherʼs expertise and views for defining objectives.

• Planners and designers were able to safely articulate their differences on goals, timetables, and strategies. This air of mutual respect, trust, and reliance was crucial for a multiphase project such as Newcomb Hall—especially with the building remaining in operation during renovations/additions.

• Students were consulted on their needs and desires for the building. As the ultimate “end-user clients,” their input was vital in assessing what structural impediments existed and how to adequately address them. According to students, the three most positive results of the renovations were more areas for private study, more partitioned rooms for student services activities, and more of an open-space feel throughout the building. [3]

• Planning for more interior openness has facilitated a visual and atmospheric environment that fosters academic collaboration.

• Newcomb Hallʼs thematic planning and design confirms that, according to the associate dean of management and finance, “It’s ultimately all about the students. Newcomb Hall is their place—defined by their needs.”

These are basic practices that UVA officials and contract architects wish to share with other planners at academic institutions. Advanced logistical planning; an open communications process between university officials, architects/planners, and contractors; and counsel from students and faculty are essential for a successful building renovations process. In particular, consultation from students and faculty was invaluable during this project, as upgrades to the building ultimately reflect their needs and desires. During a site visit by the author in September 2012, several students commented on the openness of the renovated interior and on how Newcomb Hall has become more user-friendly. The theme heard from UVA officials was “this building must remain all about the students,” and that is certainly reflected in the successful outcome of this enterprise.

Collaborative cooperation and communication was key,with all parties respecting and relying on each otherʼs expertise.


NOTES

1. UVA uses the term “grounds” instead of “campus.” An estimated 80 percent of UVAʼs undergraduate students reside either on or within one square mile of the grounds.

2. Newcomb Hall upgrades are designed for basic LEED certification, not Silver, Gold, or Platinum levels.

3. The author believes this is of special note for planners involved in these kinds of renovation projects.


REFERENCES

http://www.virginia.edu/newcomb/

http://www.fm.virginia.edu/fpc/FeaturedProjects/NewcombHall/NewcombHall.htm









AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Jonathan Moore is an Alexandria, Virginia-based public affairs/public relations consultant. Along with public relations, he provides clients with issue advocacy and strategic communications before the U.S. Congress, federal and state agencies, and the private sector. He currently writes articles for the Virginia Society of Architects and other chapters affiliated with the American Institute of Architects. He also offers consulting services to historic commemorative and preservation commissions. This is his first article for the Society of College and University Planning.


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