Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Wesleyan University to Convert Vacant Factory Space into Arts Lab

  • By Matt Jones
  • 05/30/24

Wesleyan University recently announced the start of construction on a new Integrative Arts Lab for its campus in Middletown, Conn., according to a news release. The university is partnering with Bruner/Cott Architects on the transformation of a vacant factory building into an 18,700-square-foot space that will serve as the “nexus of the arts” on campus. The historic structure, most recently used as a Mohawk Manufacturing Company facility, was originally constructed in 1850 and an addition built in 1922.

The lab will include spaces for visual and performing arts, maker spaces, and a flexible arts commons to encourage interdisciplinary work, the news release reports. Construction will also include additions to the existing T-shaped structure to expand its potential.

“The project will reinforce Wesleyan’s commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility; meet aspirational sustainability goals that prioritize conserving resources and limiting embodied carbon through building reuse; and include measures to ensure occupancy health and wellness,” according to the news release.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • New City School

    Turning Crisis into Opportunity: Transforming New City School

    When New City School in St. Louis suffered catastrophic flood damage in July 2022, the event could have marked a serious setback for the 100-year-old institution. Instead, it became a forward-looking opportunity.

  • Preparing for the Next Era of Healthcare Education, Innovation

    Across the country, public universities and community colleges are accelerating investments in healthcare education facilities as part of a broader strategy to address workforce shortages, modernize outdated infrastructure, and expand clinical training capacity. These projects, which are often located at the center of campus health and science districts, are no longer limited to traditional classrooms.

  • Chartwells Launches Campus Dining Evaluation Framework

    Contract food-service management provider Chartwells Higher Education recently announced the launch of BLUEPRINT, according to a news release. The evaluation framework was designed to provide a data-driven and customizable roadmap towards optimizing campus dining services and, by extension, the student experience.

  • Ohio State University Opens 26-Story Hospital

    The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center recently opened in Columbus, Ohio, standing 26 stories and covering 1.9 million square feet, according to a university news release. The project marks ten years of effort and is the university’s largest single-facility construction project ever.