Winter Hall is one of four buildings we designed and constructed on the Westmont College campus, the first new construction in 25 years. A three-level building, Winter Hall is organized by the desire to provide all of the spaces access to natural light and views, including those spaces, such as the lecture halls, located on the lower level, where natural light is limited. To encourage faculty/student interaction, each discipline’s faculty offices and seminar rooms are organized around open student learning areas which, in turn, have direct access to outdoor plazas and gardens. The central feature of the building is a three-story atrium and public stairway, providing visual and physical connectivity between levels, while serving as an activity hub. The atrium also brings natural light into all levels of the building. By placing levels below grade, the building both responds to topography as well as diminishes the building’s massing. A green roof and benches fashioned from large stones excavated from the site help to connect Winter Hall to its surroundings.

Project Data

Complete
44,000 sf
LEED Gold

Program & Highlights

100-seat tiered lecture halls
Classrooms
Research and electronics classrooms
Faculty offices
Machine shop
Seminar/workroom
Psychology, physics & computer science labs
Math, physics & psychology learning lounges

Collaborators

General Contractor: MATT Construction
Structural Engineer: John A. Martin & Associates
Civil Engineer: Mac Design Associates
Mechanical/Electrical Engineer: IBE Consulting Engineers
Theater: Auerbach Pollock Friedlander
Acoustics: Jaffe Holden Acoustics
Lighting: Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design
A/V: Multi-Media Consulting, Inc.
Landscape Architect: Van Atta Associates
Photographer: Eric Staudenmaier