News
Proposed renovations to Root Hall to be completed by 2022
By Liam Wallace ’16
March 10, 2016
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At the Root Hall Design Charette this past Sunday, architects from Philadelphia and Santa Fe-based Atkin Olshin Schade Architects displayed their ideas for the upcoming renovation of Root Hall to the Hamilton community. The proposed renovation and addition to Root will keep some of the old structure while improving upon some of the building’s usability problems and nearly doubling Root’s size to 32,000 square feet.
Sam Olshin AIA, a Principal at Atkin Olshin Schade and an architect of the renovation and addition, said that one of the goals of the project is to create a contemporary space while not overwhelming the old building.
“We’ve been working pretty hard not to get any taller than the ridge of the building and not to get any wider than the building to the left or right.”
He said that in designing the addition, architects considered the “history and traditions of Hamilton in working in stone and granite,” intending to find a modern way to incorporate that style into the project.
Sara Patrick, an Atkin Olshin Schade architect working with Olshin on the project, said that the renovation will preserve some of the things that people enjoy about the interior of the old Root Hall.
“We have heard from a lot of faculty and students that everyone is very attached to the aesthetic of Root and the wood paneling and all of the old details,” Patrick noted. Considering this input, the design will keep the large windows, though some of the old wood might be replaced during the construction process.
She also noted that, while Root will retain some of its old charms, the project will modernize the building’s classroom spaces. “We are trying to capture the feeling of the existing Root and just update it and bring new amenities to all the class rooms and the technology that you would expect to find throughout campus,” Patrick continued.
The architects also pointed out that the project will alter the west quad behind Root Hall. These changes will include a new terrace, a new landscape design and moving the loop road that is currently behind Root.
Chair of the Root Hall Building Committee and Professor of Literature and Creative Writing Onno Oerlemans expressed that members of the Literature Department’s faculty have had substantial input in the design process. He, department members, students and staff meet once a month to provide feedback to the architects.
When asked if the plans were living up to his expectations and those also on the project committee, Oerlemans replied, “Oh yeah, and then some,” pointing to the creation of new student study spaces and a large atrium as exciting additions to Root.
Oerlemans also noted that the project will improve the safety and accessibility of the building, two major issues with the Root Hall. “It is a building that doesn’t meet any of the current safety codes or accessibility codes and it’s got character and it’s got history and it’s got some good classroom spaces but there are all kinds of other issues with it,” he explained, adding, “I think everybody involved was thinking we want to fix these problems.”
As for timetable, Associate Vice President for Facilities and Planning Steve Bellona said that construction will likely be completed by January 2022.
Part of the delay in completion stems from the need to move all classes and professor’s offices out of Root for a year and a half while construction is taking place.
As of right now, it appears that the college will “renovate List Art Center to replace all the classes that are in Root plus all of the office that are currently in Root,” Bellona stated. If things move on schedule, that renovation will be complete by summer 2020.
Given that the plans for these projects are not finalized, there is no firm estimate of what the ultimate cost will be. Further, the source of funding is also not clear at this point.
However, Bellona hopes that presentation of the project, along with its estimated cost, to Hamilton’s Trustees in June will provide “a much better idea of the funding sources” for the project.