Hamilton College | Christian A. Johnson Hall
Originally designed as the college library in the early years of the 20th century, Christian A. Johnson Hall was last renovated in the 1980s, and while the inherently solid structure of the historic building was preserved, much of the original interior architectural details were obscured. When Chiang | O’Brien Architects was selected to renovate the structure in 2012, the relocation of the main college art gallery allowed for the reorganization of the existing academic programs in the building—the mathematics and language departments were dispersed in the building, neither having a clear physical identity.
After an in-depth programming and planning process, the resulting reorganization of functions throughout the building allowed all classrooms, faculty and staff offices, as well as special academic programs to be improved. The highlight of the project is a large student study space that creates a comfortable individual and group study environment, which is surrounded by math faculty offices.
The renovation for the math department, initially intended as a temporary solution, was declared a great success, and they are planning to stay—the space is now used by students from all areas of study.
