Add as a preferred source on Google

Lesley University: Lunder Arts Center

  • 08/01/15
Lunder Arts Center at Lesley University in Cambridge

PHOTOS © ROBERT BENSON PHOTOGRAPHY

The $46-million, 74,000-square-foot Lunder Arts Center at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA, is the heart of the school’s College of Art and Design and an anchor of Cambridge’s Porter Square arts district.

Challenged with creating a multifunctional complex that would facilitate experiential learning and student-faculty collaboration, engage the public and integrate a decommissioned historic church, Bruner/Cott & Associates focused on the creation of inspiring spaces, designing professional grade art studios, making a vibrant connection to the public realm and repurposing a historic New England church already on the site.

The historic church was relocated inward on the block to better relate to the scale of Massachusetts Avenue’s stores and residences. The move allowed the construction of a lower level across the site to reduce density. After restoring the church’s exterior to its c.1910 appearance its interior was reimagined, comprising an accessible two-level art library on the ground floor, several galleries, and a graphic design studio in the original wood attic rafters.

A new four-story studio structure on the church’s former site is clad in terracotta, complementing surrounding buildings. Its prolific glazing actively facilitates art making, housing teaching spaces for ceramics, drawing, painting, book making, printmaking, photography, animation and digital filmmaking.

A three-story Arts Commons connects the church structure to the studio building. It features a light-filled entry court that proffers circulation, event space and administrative offices. Its transparent entrance and gallery add vibrancy to the streetscape, welcoming the public to exhibits, lectures, conferences and symposia. The new complex anticipates LEED Gold certification.

“In addition to providing our students with state of the art studio facilities, the Center enables our university to establish itself as a more visible, prominent member of Cambridge/Boston art world,” says Dr. Stuart Steck, chair of the College of Art and Design’s Department of Art History and Critical Studies.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Countway Library at Harvard Medical School

    From Shadows to Sanctuary: The Transformation of Light at Countway Library

    The renovation of Countway Library at Harvard Medical School demonstrates how biophilic design and advanced lighting strategies transformed a formerly dark, insular space into a vibrant, welcoming hub that supports wellness, learning, and community engagement.

  • University of Kentucky Receives $150M Gift Toward New Arts District

    The University of Kentucky’s Board of Trustees recently received a $150-million gift from The Bill Gatton Foundation, according to a university news release, to build a new arts district on the campus in Lexington, Ky. The new district will feature a new College of Fine Arts building and a multi-hundred-seat theater, among other amenities.

  • UCNJ Launches $30M Modernization of Physical Education Center

    The Union College of Union County (UCNJ) in Cranford, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $30-million modernization project for its Physical Education Center (PECK), according to a news release. The college partnered with DIGroup Architecture for the project’s design, transitioning the existing 42,000-square-foot structure into a campus hub for student athletics and campus life.

  • Malibu High School Campus Completes $102M Phase 1 of Construction

    Malibu High School in Malibu, Calif., recently announced that it has completed phase 1 of construction for its new campus, a news release reports. The first phase consisted of developing and modernizing the site of a former elementary school into a new, 70,000-square-foot, two-story facility.

Digital Edition