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JULIS ROMO RABINOWITZ BUILDING & LOUIS A. SIMPSON INTERNATIONAL BUILDING
LOCATION Princeton University, New Jersey ARCHITECT KPMB Architects PHOTOS Adrien Williams
Princeton University is simultaneously grounded in the past and continuously evolving to respond to future needs. The Julis Romo Rabinowitz Building & Louis A. Simpson International Building at 20 Washington Road represents the latest generation of campus development. It prioritizes the repurposing of an existing building to advance the university’s sustainability plan, while fulfilling the master plan vision to create a new social sciences and humanities neighbourhood.
The original Collegiate Gothic building (1929) housed the Department of Chemistry and was expanded with several additions over time, resulting in a labyrinthine arrangement of spaces including large laboratory classrooms and mechanical areas. The challenge was to balance the preservation and restoration of the heritage exterior with the complete transformation of the interior into a light-filled, interconnected environment for the Department of Economics and International Initiatives. The resulting place was envisaged as a focal point in the new academic neighbourhood.
The building is located on the seam where the historic west campus meets the contemporary east campus. The quads and pathways that weave Princeton’s campus together inspired the transformation of the interior into a microcosm of the campus. A network of generous circulation corridors with gently sloped ramps resolve transitions between different levels of the Collegiate Gothic building and a 1964 extension. Porcelain tiles provide ease and safety of mobility and wayfinding, matching the bluestone of Princeton’s classic cobblestone pathways. Indiana limestone, argillite, white oak, low-iron etched glass, and custom steel details complement the heritage fabric and character.
Each department required its own identity within the whole. Economics is housed in the 1929 building, with an entrance through the heritage vestibule on Washington Road. Two single-storey glass pavilions are discreetly set on the roof of the Washington Road elevation to provide desirable and much-needed meeting and event space. International Initiatives occupies the 1964 addition, which features a new stone entrance and atrium overlooking Scudder Plaza, the Fountain of Freedom, and Robertson Hall. A significant yet subtle intervention, it has had a huge impact on reactivating one of Princeton’s significant outdoor spaces. Along the building’s edges, the landscaping strategy harkens back to the Beatrix Farrand design that shaped the grounds in the first half of the 20th century.
Princeton was the first Ivy League university to develop and implement a bold sustainability plan. This project exemplifies adaptive
reuse as an act of social and environmental sustainability, by repurposing 86% of the existing building and having all new additions occur within the existing footprint. The insulation of the heritage masonry walls, combined with high-efficiency mechanical and electrical systems, significantly reduces energy consumption. All the heritage windows were replaced with operable windows that preserve the original glazing’s proportions and character. While the pre-design target in 2011 was LEED Silver, the design has achieved LEED Gold standards.
The adaptive reuse and transformation of 20 Washington Road evolves Princeton’s legacy as one of the world’s most beautiful, enduring campuses. The tectonics and details, along with an emphasis on high-quality, low-maintenance materials, reflect a tradition of long-term thinking while playing a role towards achieving a net-zero campus by 2047.
:: Jury :: The careful design of this project promotes a respectful relation between historic building preservation and contemporary architecture. The building creates generous spaces, brings abundant light into an interior courtyard, and creates a truly livable space.
OPPOSITE A new entrance to the Louis A. Sampson International Building faces the Fountain of Freedom, in Scudder Plaza. TOP The International Atrium spans between the original 1929 building and a 1964 addition. ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT A translucent glass meeting room cantilevers out over the Forum Atrium; the main entrance to the Julis Romo Rabinowitz Building faces Washington Avenue.
CLIENT PRINCETON UNIVERSITY | ARCHITECT TEAM BRUCE KUWABARA, SHIRLEY BLUMBERG, DAVID JESSON, MARK JAFFAR, DAVID SMYTHE, LYNN PILON, GABRIEL FAIN, ANNIE PELLETIER, YA’EL SANTOPINTO, ELIZABETH PADEN, VICTOR GARZON, CLEMENTINE CHANG, CAROLYN LEE (ASSOCIATE), DINA SARHANE, RACHEL CYR, KRISTINA STRECKER, SAMANTHA HART | STRUCTURAL/ENVELOPE THORNTON THOMASETTI | MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL/PLUMBING/FIRE PROTECTION ALTIERISEBORWIEBER | CIVIL VAN NOTE-HARVEY AND ASSOCIATES | CODE/FIRE AND LIFE SAFETY PHIL R. SHERMAN, P.E. | COST VERMEULENS | SPECIFICATIONS BRIAN BALLANTYNE | ACOUSTICS/AV CERAMI & ASSOCIATES | ELEVATOR VAN DEUSEN | LIGHTING TILLOTSON DESIGN ASSOCIATES | SIGNAGE ENTRO COMMUNICATIONS | HERITAGE JABLONSKI BUILDING CONSERVATION | SUSTAINABILITY ATELIER TEN | LANDSCAPE MICHAEL VAN VALKENBURGH ASSOCIATES | PROJECT MANAGER LORINE MURRAYMECHINI | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER BARR & BARR | BUDGET WITHHELD | OCCUPANCY APRIL 2017
