Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

VMA Completes Baldwin School Innovation Center Adaptive Reuse Project

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/11/23

Voith and Mactavish Architects recently announced the completion of an adaptive reuse project at The Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr, Penn. According to a project narrative, the firm converted a poolhouse into an interdisciplinary and collaborative education center. The Baldwin School is an all-girls’ school for students PreK–12, and the narrative explains that one fundamental challenge of the project was to make the space safe and accessible for students of all ages.

VMA Baldwin School Innovation Center
Image courtesy of Voith and Mactavish Architects

The original building covered roughly 3,500 square feet and served mainly as an open space with an excavated pool. The pool itself was converted into a sunken seating area accessible by steps or a ramp.

The purpose of the project was to create a new space where students can learn, make, and share. The space also offers flexible tables and seating to allow for an infinite array of easy reconfigurations. It includes storage, whiteboards, and display space at lower levels for younger students, as well as a makerspace with 3D printers and crafting tools for older students.

Finishes include neutral colors and materials like a wood flooring and ceiling to create a clean, orderly, dynamic space. The space features white surfaces with blue detail, combined with bright colorful cushions spaced throughout for a pop of color. The space also includes an adjacent courtyard patio accessible through French doors that visually connects the space with the rest of the campus and also filling the interior with natural light.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Western Kentucky University Breaks Ground on First Phase of $350M Student Housing Project

    Western Kentucky University (WKU) in Bowling Green, Ky., recently broke ground on the first phase of a $350-million student housing initiative, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Gilbane Development through a public-private partnership (P3) to replace aging residence halls and modernize on-campus living accommodations.

  • Wenger Names New Vice President of Sales for Performing Arts, Controls

    Wenger Corporation, which provides products and solutions for music and theater education, performing arts and athletic storage, recently announced the hiring of a new Vice President of Sales for Performing Arts and Controls.

  • Esports are Growing in Popularity

    Video games and esports are a popular social hobby, and it’s one that’s accessible to a wide variety of physical ability levels. Some esport student-athletes have started to earn scholarship opportunities, and high schools are beginning to form teams equipped with the same degree of resources as their physical sports teams. However, the two have very different needs.

  • Michigan District Breaks Ground on Sheridan Road School

    The Lansing School District in Lansing, Mich., recently broke ground on the new Sheridan Road School, according to a district news release. The school will measure 61,525 square feet and serve students in grades 5–8.