MAIN ENTRY STAIR
DIRECTOR’S OFFICE
LOUNGE ALONG EXTERIOR WALL
COPY AREA AND TYPICAL OFFICE
Renovation & Alteration to Offices This 5300 square foot space was originally a lecture hall in one of the founding buildings (circa 1915) at Rutgers University. It was converted to offices long ago and desperately required updating to serve the current demands of the school. The renovated space houses academic and counseling offices for the School of Environmental & Biological Sciences (SEBS). This department interacts face-to face with students and is the introductory environment to their chosen school on the Rutgers campus. Design Challenge: Provide an open and inviting gateway to the SEBS that also maintains privacy and controls student access. Our solution maximized the perception of openness by using fire-rated glazing along one corridor wall, providing full-height glazed office walls, exposing the building structure and mechanical systems, and floating acoustical clouds overhead. Access is controlled through a waiting area located outside the office boundary. The metal, concrete and glass materials are softened with the introduction of natural stained wood framing and by exposing selected original red brick bearing walls. Heating and cooling systems, supplied from a central plant, were not functioning properly and a major complaint of the users. We provided dedicated rooftop equipment for this space, as well as code-required fresh air to the entire building. The existing roof/ceiling assembly presented the project’s biggest challenge: it still contained original ACM plaster, which (to save money) limited the number of support penetrations. Our design of a Unistrut suspension system decreased the frequency of ceiling attachments and provided flexibility for hanging equipment (lights, ducts, piping, clouds, conduit).
BEFORE VIEW OF OFFICES
OPEN OFFICE AREA
CORRIDOR OUTSIDE CONFERENCE ROOM
STUDENT WAITING AREA AS EXTENSION OF CORRIDOR
CEILING ORGANIZATION
RUTGERS SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENTAL & BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES OFFICES MARTIN HALL COOK CAMPUS NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ