Mumford Hall Conversion Winner
Interior Architecture Award, Citation of Merit
The Mumford Hall Conversion transforms a cloistered dormitory building and expands the dining hall into an open, communal center for the Salvation Army’s College for Officer Training. The program includes modernizing all apartment units, making the building fully accessible, and developing the dining area to accommodate large groups of cadets, their families and guests.
The modest budget necessitates elevating the quality of space with simple building elements – form, light, and color. Channel glass diffuses direct sunlight and is animated by the silhouette of people walking behind. Skylights allow shafts of daylight to punctuate the diffuse northern light. L-shaped apartment walls stop short to maximize access to daylight and have an accent color giving each unit a unique identity. Lounge seating in the dining hall addition overlooks the quadrangle providing a casual meeting place at the campus center.
The LEED Certified project utilizes cost effective strategies such as superior insulation, daylighting, LED lighting, and efficient mechanical systems that provide significant energy savings at a modest cost.
-
The Dining Hall is also the main presentation and lecture space on campus. The wood veneer wall defines the head of the space where prayer, lectures, and presentations take place.
All of the audio/visual equipment is concealed so as not to be distracting from the speaker when not in use. The projection screen, digital projector, and sound speakers are all concealed in the ceiling with the cabling located in the floor and walls.
The channel glass wall screens the servery beyond, providing acoustical control in the Dining Hall. The channel glass diffuses the direct southern daylight in the servery and is animated by cadets walking behind during meal service.
Photograph by:
Kate Joyce © Hedrich Blessing 2009 -
Four handicapped accessible units support independent living for cadets with physical disabilities. Requirements such as the under-counter knee space and reachable cabinet storage are integrated into the same design vocabulary, eliminating the distinction between accessible and typical units. More subtle design elements include arms on each sofa and lounge chair to assist residents in standing up and an open floor plan allowing residents in wheelchairs to move freely.
Photograph by:
Christopher Barrett © Christopher Barrett Photographer 2009 -
The apartments are arranged in an open floor plan to maximize access to daylight and eliminate redundant circulation space. The L-shaped wall that screens the bedroom from the living spaces is held back from the exterior wall allowing each space to borrow light from the other. Units are differentiated by variations in the furniture and finish color scheme. The study carrel has power and data connections to the campus network. Mechanical lighting is provided with efficient fluorescent and LED fixtures that reduce energy consumption by 20%.
Photograph by:
Christopher Barrett © Christopher Barrett Photographer 2009
- Architect
- Harding Partners
- Consultants
- Building Engineering Systems
- C.E. Anderson and Associates
- General contractor
- W.B. Olson Inc.
- Location
- Chicago, Illinois
- Category
- Miscellaneous
