CAMPUS
MASTER PLAN EMERSON COLLEGE 2013
2
Emerson College
Campus Master Plan
TABLE OF CONTENTS 5 11 25 39 51
Executive Summary Master Plan Priorities Master Plan Vision Design Opportunities Implementation
33
4
Emerson College
Campus Master Plan
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
55
6
Emerson College
Campus Master Plan
The Emerson College Framework Plan provides a long-term vision for the physical development of the school’s campus in support of its mission. The college’s strategic priorities—educating students to assume positions of leadership in communication and the arts, promoting civic engagement, inspiring students to create and communicate with clarity, integrity, and conviction—suggest new models of enhanced collaboration and active learning, and the importance of strong connections within the school, across the college, and to the urban community. These drivers require a transformation of the physical environment.
The Framework Plan also seeks to improve the day-today functionality of the campus. Class change logistics, signage, and campus service, while less glamorous than mission components, are necessary for their achievement. These issues are intimately connected to broader themes of identity, collaboration, and clarity of wayfinding, which have emerged as important framework topics. Finally, space itself is a limitation. Classrooms suffer from hyper-utilization, traditional office configurations have limited flexibility and hamper new modes of collaboration, and a lack of interaction spaces confounds our modern understanding that learning is fundamentally social.
77
8
Emerson College
Key framework drivers divide into two complimentary groups: key program drivers and urban design drivers.
KEY PROGRAM DRIVERS
URBAN DESIGN DRIVERS
•
•
• • • •
Learning space that supports active and experiential pedagogies and relieves the pressure on existing classrooms Faculty and staff office space to support desired adjacencies and planned growth initiatives Student interaction spaces including lounge, study, and group work spaces Replacement residential space to address deferred maintenance issues A new, appropriately-sized dining facility
• • •
Creating a campus, not just a collection of buildings Enhancing the college’s identity through increased transparency and visibility – inside and out Leveraging existing urban amenities to Emerson’s benefit, including open space Providing clarity to circulation
Campus Master Plan
These drivers translate into several major physical moves: • •
•
•
•
Consolidation of Emerson’s real estate along Boylston Street Divesting of real estate that does not directly contribute to the sense of campus, including the Ansin Building Reorganization of uses within buildings: student life on the ground floor, academic space on the second and third floors, office and residential space on upper floors Connecting campus buildings horizontally such that people, activities, and ideas can flow freely between buildings Increasing visibility of interior spaces by making building facades more transparent
• •
•
•
Eliminating a traffic lane from Boylston Street to enable widening of the sidewalk Enhancing the Boylston streetscape to provide informal outdoor space for students, faculty, and staff Strategically locating program space in the Boylston Place alley using existing real estate assets and through new construction Short-term stabilization of the Little Building structure, with long-term opportunity for reinvestment in the existing building or in new space
99
10
Emerson College
Campus Master Plan
MASTER PLAN PRIORITIES
1111
12
Emerson College
Campus Master Plan
MISSION Emerson College is an undergraduate and graduate institution committed to pushing the boundaries of communication, art, and culture and, thereby, to contribute to the advancement of society. Scholarship is focused on work that brings innovation to these disciplines. The purpose of the framework plan is to create a campus that amplifies this mission through focused development over the next 25 years.
1313
14
Emerson College
EXISTING CAMPUS The epicenter of campus is located at the intersections of Boylston and Tremont streets at the southeast end of Boston Common. Emerson’s Boston campus comprises nine buildings which total 1.1 million square feet of space. Four major buildings – Little Building, Colonial Building, Walker Building, and Piano Row – together comprise 846,385 GSF, or 77 percent of Emerson’s total space. The remaining space is found in Ansin Building, Paramount Building, Tufte Building, Union Bank Building, and in a portion of the State Transportation Building. Roughly half of Emerson’s facilities are new or renovated since 2002.
Campus Master Plan
View of existing campus, looking southeast
1515
16
Emerson College
STAKEHOLDER INPUT The discovery phase included a broad investigation to record existing site conditions of the Emerson campus including architectural and landscape character, circulation patterns and space use. This phase also included interviews with members of the Emerson student, faculty, staff, and broader campus community, as well as others to understand the current and future challenges and opportunities. Broader stakeholder feedback was captured using our innovative interactive mapping tool, myCampus, through an adjacency survey, as well as in a series of focus groups. Stakeholder input revealed critical information about academics, student life, identity, and urban context.
Campus Master Plan
Results of myCampus survey
1717
18
Emerson College
Academics
Student Life
•
•
• • • • •
Need for high-impact, flexible learning environments Need more 24-hour learning spaces Verticality of campus makes class change difficult Leverage urban context for off-campus production space Co-locate offices to promote collaboration and efficiency of resources Provide sufficient space for fast-growing academic programs
• •
• •
• • • •
There is limited access to and complicated management of collaborative meeting space Need more street-level space to bring people together Need 24-hour space with food and computer access, both for residential and commuter students Need space for international students to congregate and build community Dining facilities are limited not only for current students but also for faculty/staff. Shared use of campus dining can help foster student-faculty interaction Need space for student organizations Library is hyper-utilized Significant divide between commuter and residential students Intense pressure on existing spaces – hence the longing for the “wall”
Campus Master Plan
Identity
Urban Context
• •
•
• • • •
No sense of one Emerson College has a split personality between liberal and professional arts – the campus must reflect this unique identity The campus lacks a sense of place and community Admissions space does not make a good first impression and is hard to find There is a general lack of visibility of learning environments and student services offices The physical campus lacks permeability
•
• •
The location of current campus has made positive change for the city and has improved Emerson’s visibility The area around Emerson has become more residential and, by extension, safer, but safety is still a concern Emerson should continue to build partnerships with the city Think of the Common as an extension of the Emerson campus
1919
20
Emerson College
SPACE NEED Space is categorized according to space use codes, which include classroom, laboratory, office, study, special use, general use, support facilities, and residential use. The space program analysis provides information for the college to make critical decisions regarding the redistribution of space and planning for future buildings, as needed. Instructional Space Emerson makes rigorous use of its instructional space from 8 am to 5:30 pm, achieving an average utilization rate of 71 percent Monday through Thursday for classrooms, which exceeds the CEFPI recommendation of 65 percent for classrooms, and an average utilization rate of 65 percent Monday through Thursday for labs, which exceeds the CEFPI recommendation of 40 percent for labs. During the hours of 10 am to 3 pm, utilization rates are well over 90 percent. These findings point to a heavy utilization of existing instructional space, conceivably limiting future student growth. Moreover, the quality of the existing classrooms is lacking. Many of the classrooms were retrofitted into spaces not intended to accommodate modern instructional needs. Therefore, both a quality and quantity analysis suggests instructional space as an investment priority.
Health Care 1%
Support 9%
Classroom 13%
General Use 12%
Special Use 18%
Lab 8%
Office 33%
Study 6%
Distribution of existing space
Campus Master Plan
Office Space From a quantity perspective, Emerson’s office needs are not as dramatic as instructional and student life spaces. The office count to faculty and staff FTE falls within a healthy range. However, a qualitative look at the work environment unveils dispersal of faculty and staff offices within departments as well as a deficiency in collaboration spaces. Therefore, although quantity analysis suggests office space is likely not the highest investment priority, quality analysis points to the necessary rethinking of the work environment to promote collaboration and efficient use of resources.
2121
22
Emerson College
Student Life Space Student life space needs are not easily measured by guidelines as these spaces are often fungible. The guidelines, however, suggest Emerson currently has large shortages in lounge, study and dining space. The following comments treat each space separately. However, clever hybrid solutions can alleviate the student life space shortage in a more efficient manner. Lounge space at Emerson totals 6,665 ASF. 28% of this space is located in the Paramount Building, which is considered out of the way. Our analysis suggests that an additional 1 ASF/Student FTE of lounge space in the Boylston street block will meet the current shortage of lounge space.
Campus Master Plan
Our analysis shows that quantity and diversity in the study space types is one of the greatest needs at Emerson. At 3,122 ASF, study space needs fall vastly short of the 23,000 ASF recommended by CEFPI. It is also interesting to note that 72% of this space is located in the Library. Lastly, Emerson’s internal calculations for dining space indicate a demand for a 50% increase of the dining seats number, putting the total at 450 seats. In summary, there is intense pressure on existing student life space and social space must be an investment priority.
2323
24
Emerson College
Campus Master Plan
MASTER PLAN VISION
2525
26
Emerson College
Campus Master Plan
The framework evolved through the collaboration iteration of a variety of scenarios. Our broad analysis documented space utilization issues and urban design concerns, and evolved into an evaluation methodology for alternative ideas in the exploration phase. While options for how to implement the framework plan vary, a set of big ideas unify the concepts and serve as the guiding vision for Emerson’s future.
2727
28
Emerson College
Concentrate activity and presence on Boylston Street Emerson’s relocation from Back Bay to the southeast end of Boston Common required finding a critical mass of relatively proximate space. This approach was necessarily opportunistic. Emerson now has the opportunity to more strategically consolidate its presence along Boylston Street to establish a true campus with an enhanced identity. With this unified identity, Boston Common then becomes a natural extension of the campus, anchoring buildings with a major open space element and contributing to an overall sense of place. Indoor-outdoor connectivity is further strengthened by creating an active presence along Boylston Street.
Elimination of a traffic lane from Boylston enables widening of the sidewalk, thereby allowing for enhanced streetscape, including furniture, street lighting, and planting, that result in a unified collegiate presence along the Boylston frontage. The strategy advocates for focused investment within the Boylston block and, accordingly, potential divestment of properties outside of the block, such as Ansin Building and Union Bank, as a way to fund future campus improvements.
Campus Master Plan
Consolidate real estate along the Boylston block; recognize the Common as an open space amenity.
2929
30
Emerson College
Connect the campus horizontally The Little Building, Colonial Building, Walker Building, and Piano Row front Boylston Street. Although they are next to each other and span half of the block, they are not connected internally; each has separate entries and functions. Therefore, connecting these buildings horizontally and converting their ground floors into student life spaces not only offers additional lounge, dining, and study space but also promotes a sense of campus, community, and identity that is currently lacking.
Because class change time is made difficult when academic space is located on upper floors, the master plan advocates for academic uses to be relocated to the second and third floors. Office and residential uses then account for the space located on upper floors.
Campus Master Plan
3131
Tremont Street
A section through the Boylston-fronting buildings with proposed uses
32
Emerson College
Enhance transparency and visibility of Emerson programs The Emerson campus is characterized by a general lack of visibility to academic and student activity taking place within campus facilities. This opacity is experienced from the street and also within the buildings themselves, as building structure and circuitous wayfinding impart a sense of impermeability to the campus experience. Greater transparency is achieved by opening up facades so that the activity within buildings is visible to the street.
This includes maximizing the amount of transparent windows and doors within masonry openings and using interior lighting to highlight activity. Within buildings, this translates to comingling like uses to establish a clearer identity within each building and, where possible, opening up interior structure to create more connectivity and porosity.
Campus Master Plan
Proposed building interventions increase the sense of transparency
3333
34
Emerson College
Create dynamic learning and support spaces Space constraints impact Emerson’s ability to meet mission objectives. This is most apparent in learning spaces and informal study and social spaces. Existing Emerson classrooms generally occupy historic structures not intended to support modern teaching environments. The school has limited space suitable for the flexible setup needed to support experiential or active learning. Beyond the classroom, the college currently has limited breakout space, very limited group study space, and a crowded library. Departmental offices are scattered throughout campus; adjacencies do not support actual and desired collaborations.
The framework plan consolidates academic uses to the second and third floors of buildings, thereby creating a series of related facilities that allow for flexible expansion and contraction. Classrooms are rightsized to support desired cohort sizes and are outfitted with flexible furniture to permit highly configurable spaces. Non-academic offices are relocated from core academic facilities, thereby allowing key facilities like the library to expand in place.
Campus Master Plan
Dynamic learning and support spaces activate Boylston Place
3535
36
Emerson College
Maximize development potential within existing real estate Emerson’s landholdings represent both an asset and an opportunity. As mentioned, there is a tremendous opportunity to make existing buildings more efficient, flexible, and inviting. At the same time, the Framework Plan highlights potential to significantly increase square footage within the Boylston Block, in accordance with city regulations. These prospects include achieving greater density along Boylston Place, with the potential for approximately 260,000 square feet of space to include a residence hall for about 750 students, a dining facility, a fitness center, academic offices, an equipment distribution center, and the Emerson College Police Department.
The Little Building, too, represents an opportunity. The building structure requires significant rehabilitation and stabilization. Over time, the building can either be renovated to support modern learning environments, student life, and housing or can be redeveloped. In either scenario, the building anchors a key site that contributes to Emerson’s distinctive urban identity.
Campus Master Plan
OFFICE/ RESIDENTIAL INSTRUCTIONAL STUDENT LIFE
Uses are reorganized in existing buildings; new construction follows suit
3737
38
Emerson College
Campus Master Plan
DESIGN OPPORTUNITIES
3939
40
Emerson College
BUILDING INTERVENTIONS Street Level: Today The Little, Colonial and Walker Buildings, although adjacent to each other, are disconnected from the interior. Each building offers some retail, office and student life space in addition to the Theater in the Colonial Building. However, all these spaces operate separately, lacking a sense of cohesiveness and connectedness.
Campus Master Plan
Street Level: Future The Master Plan envisions the street level of the Little, Colonial and Walker Buildings as being one connected space. This new continuous space along Boylston Street will offer much needed additional student life space with lounges and study space, while the dining areas toward the back of the Walker Building and the Radio Station would help activate Boylston Place. The area labeled “dining� could also be used as additional student life and study space, should dining be located elsewhere. A coffee shop and a bookstore will complete the Tremont Street side of Little Building.
4141
42
Emerson College
Second Floor: Today The second floor of the Little, Colonial and Walker Buildings sees a mix of office, student life, residential, and instructional spaces. At this level, the buildings feel even more disconnected from each other as one must first descend to the street level and exit the building before navigating to the building of their destination.
Campus Master Plan
Second Floor: Future The Master Plan proposes to dedicate the second floors of the Little, Colonial and Walker buildings to instructional space: classrooms and seminar rooms. This location for classrooms will alleviate the class change time load on the building elevators. The lounge spaces will provide a space for increased student interaction with their peers as well as faculty.
4343
44
Emerson College
Third Floor: Today Student housing is located on the third floor of the Little and Colonial Buildings while the Library occupies the third floor of the Walker Building. This is a very good example of how similar spaces that are seemingly adjacent, such as housing in this case, are currently disengaged from each other.
Campus Master Plan
Third Floor: Future The Master Plan proposes the third floor of the Little Building to be converted into faculty office space due it’s proximity to classrooms on the second floor. Colonial Building’s third floor will become additional instructional space connected to the second floor via stairs for easy access. Lastly, the third floor of the Walker Building will remain as the Library, with an expansion to the fourth floor.
4545
46
Emerson College
FACADE INTERVENTIONS Today The existing ground level building facades lack transparency, making it difficult to understand the activity taking place within. Dark windows, inconsistent fenestration, and uneven interior lighting contribute to a sense of impermeability.
Campus Master Plan
Future As college-related uses are moved to street front locations, Emerson has the opportunity to make strategic interventions to building facades to instill a sense of institutional identity, uniformity, and transparency. The proposed interventions establish a consistent character
along Boylston Street to reinforce Emerson’s presence and demonstrate to passersby the activity taking place within the buildings. The improvements are in keeping with the historic nature of the buildings.
4747
48
Emerson College
BOYLSTON STREETSCAPE Today The current Emerson campus lacks indooroutdoor connectivity. The College’s presence stops at the building edge. Sidewalks are narrow and do not feel a part of the campus environment, nor does Boylston Street itself. Boston Common, which is a city-wide amenity, could better serve as an anchoring open space for the campus, but it lacks connectivity to Boylston Street.
Existing
Campus Master Plan
Future The master plan proposes to eliminate a traffic lane from Boylston Street to enable the widening of the sidewalk along the street’s northern edge, thereby allowing for enhanced streetscape, including furniture, street lighting, and planting. On the street’s southern edge, the sidewalk is shifted southward and the verge of plantings moved north to frame the street, resulting in a unified landscape experience on both sides of the street. The result of these interventions is the extension of the campus environment from the building interiors to the street, creating an outdoor zone for collaboration and socializing.
Proposed
4949
50
Emerson College
Campus Master Plan
IMPLEMENTATION
5151
52
Emerson College
PROJECT SEQUENCING Primary Driver: Little Building structural issues establish the timeline Critical structural issues limit the continued use of the Little Building unless significant renewal or redevelopment strategies are implemented. Because the Little Building accommodates so many program uses critical to Emerson – including student life, dining, and residential – the structural issues establish the timeline for the implementation of key projects recommended in the master plan. It is not feasible for these programs to remain in place while the building undergoes renewal or redevelopment.
Campus Master Plan
Step 1: Real estate acquisition (4, 5, 6 Boylston) In order to resolve the Little Building’s structural issues, Emerson College must locate replacement space for critical programs currently located in the Little Building. While many strategies have been explored, the preferred solution is to acquire space along Boylston Place. Specifically, expand into the Estate nightclub at 1 & 2 Boylston Place, Sweetwater Cafe at 3 Boylston Place, the Tavern Club at 4 Boylston Place, and two other structures owned by the Tavern Club at 5 & 6 Boylston Place.
Step 2: New multipurpose facility Acquisition of the parcels along Boylston Place will allow the College to build a 260,000 squarefoot structure to accommodate a residence hall for about 750 students, a dining facility, a fitness center, academic offices, an equipment distribution center, and the Emerson College Police Department.
1-6 Boyleston
Multipurpose facility +750 beds
5353
54
Emerson College
Step 3: Empty Little Building and stabilize structure Once the new multipurpose facility is constructed, uses from the Little Building can be relocated and the Little Building emptied. Once the building is emptied, the structure can be stabilized.
Step 4: Renovate/redevelop Little Building Many options exist – and should be further explored – regarding the future of the Little Building. Certainly, the building occupies a strategic parcel for the College at the corner of Boylston and Tremont Streets. A cost-benefit analysis should be performed as to whether to renovate or redevelop the Little Building.
Campus Master Plan
Step 5: Sell Ansin and Union Bank; backfill in renovated/redeveloped Little Building The Ansin Building and, to a lesser extent Union Bank, represent real estate assets for the College that could be leveraged to meet the goal of consolidation. Both buildings are located along Tremont Street and are not ideal for hosting academic uses, particularly classrooms. The College can divest of these buildings to help finance the renovation/redevelopment of the Little Building and the acquisition of additional properties within the Boylston block.
Step 7: Create student life ground floor environment, including Boylston Street streetscape. With a unified presence along the Boylston block, existing buildings can be renovated to create one connected space for student life, which is extended to the sidewalk to create an indoor-outdoor connection.
Sell
5555
56
Emerson College
Step 8: Acquire properties with Boylston Street frontage As opportunities present themselves, Emerson should make efforts to acquire additional real estate with Boylston Street frontage.
Step 9: Acquire State Transportation Building Long term, Emerson should remain open to possibilities to acquire the State Transportation Building, should timing and financing work in the College’s favor.
Campus Master Plan
Vision for Emerson College
5757