Railing Enhances Openness of Student Center

Trex Commercial Products

Trex Commercial Products’ Track Rail helped create overlooks that enhanced the open-concept plan of the new Jim and Martie Bultman Center’s lobby at Hope College.

Hope College in Holland, MI, is a private liberal-arts college known for providing research-based education to a diverse body of students. In 2017, the college was in the midst of planning its first new student center in over 35 years. This new facility—The 42,000-square-foot Jim and Martie Bultman Center—would be designed to have a large multipurpose room, a lounge, student study areas, and a coffee shop.

In designing the Bultman Student Center, architects placed an emphasis on “openness.” The college wanted a building that made students feel welcome, and promoted inclusion amongst all members of the campus community. With this in mind, the plan and design of the new space focused on a building layout that promoted lightness and a freedom of movement among the various floors and rooms. A visual connection between spaces was important.

As the design process progressed, architects realized they would need a sturdy railing to accompany the open-concept lobby of the facility. After researching various options, they recommended, and Hope chose, Trex Commercial Products’ (TCP) Track Rail. The minimalist rail would help create safe overlook areas so students could see into the lobby of the center from different floors, creating an overall feeling of connectedness and inclusiveness. The railing would be coupled with tempered glass and attached to the wall.

Over 341 linear feet of Track Rail were used in the new facility. The new rails fit in perfectly with the warm architectural accents of the building. These warm accents and open areas help make the new facility stand out as a central part of the campus community that all students, faculty, and staff can be a part of. With a quick installation time, TCP’s Track Rails were in place and ready when the Bultman Student Center opened at the start of the 2017-2018 academic year.

www.trex.com

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management July/August 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Springfield Breaks Ground on $53.7M Pipkin Middle School Rebuild

    Construction is underway on a new, state-of-the-art Pipkin Middle School in Springfield, Mo., a major step in Springfield Public Schools’ (SPS) long-term facility improvement plan, according to local news. The $53.7-million project officially broke ground in early June, following years of planning and community input aimed at modernizing aging infrastructure and addressing student capacity concerns.

  • ECM Technologies Wins ‘Most Innovative Business of the Year’ Award

    HVAC preventative maintenance and efficiency solutions provider ECM Technologies was recently named the “Most Innovative Business of the Year” at the 2025 Champions of Change Awards, according to a news release. The program recognizes Arizona business leaders and organizations taking steps to make a positive impact on the state through innovative thinking and philanthropy.

  • Tufts University Breaks Ground on Two New Residence Halls

    Tufts University in Medford, Mass., recently broke ground on two new residence halls with a total capacity of 664 beds, according to local news. The project’s ultimate goal is to expand on-campus housing and reduce pressure on the local housing market.

  • Clemson to Launch North America’s Largest College Campus Smart Parking Program

    Clemson University in Clemson, S.C., recently announced a partnership with smart parking and curbside management solutions provider eleven-x to launch a smart parking initiative for its population of 29,000 students and faculty, according to a news release.

Digital Edition