Arts Inclusion for the new College of Engineering Addition
Rowan University
Interior
Background.
Rowan University has evolved from its beginning in 1923 as a school with a mission
to train teachers for South Jersey classrooms to a comprehensive public research
university with a strong regional presence and reputation.
The Rowan campus is expected to experience significant growth in the foreseeable
future. Several capital improvements and building projects are being planned and
developed to support the projected need for additional space.
At Rowan, what underlies and drives every decision are four guiding principles that
reflect what we value and how we perceive our obligation to serve and lead as a state
university:
• providing access to increase opportunities for students to benefit from higher
education
• improving affordability to help relieve the burden of student debt and maintain the
highest standards of fiscal accountability
• ensuring quality to deliver education, programs and services of superior quality
• serving as an economic engine to lead the development of the region, collaborating
with public and private partners to benefit all
The College of Engineering
Rowan University is constructing a new addition to Rowan hall, their existing School
of Engineering. This addition will allow for the growth of its current program and
increase enrollment.
The New Engineering Building addition enhances the presence of Rowan Hall and
begins the process of strategically redefining the western edge of campus, as called
for in the University’s master plan. While the new building has its own identity, it
integrates seamlessly with Rowan Hall and the surrounding campus.
Through its use of compatible exterior materials and window patterns, along with a
careful manipulation of massing and scale, Rowan Hall and the new building create a
unified and much expanded Engineering Complex. The two facilities are now
strongly connected at both the ground level through the landscape and at the third
floor by a new glass bridge. The new building also creates unexpected exterior
interactive environments - including a roof terrace - while enhancing the existing
open spaces around Rowan Hall. These new landscapes sponsor a heightened sense of
campus community, make important interaction spaces for the engineering
disciplines, and provide much-needed venues for outdoor engineering experiments
and demonstrations.
With a campus roadway passing directly under the new and transparent link bridge,
the New Engineering Building addition works in concert with Rowan Hall to create
another iconic gateway entrance to Rowan University.
Arts Inclusion
Interior
A two-story lobby in the new building addition has an entrance from the entrance
plaza, located directly under the bridge. Inside, the lobby is adjacent to the Learning
Commons, separated only by a dramatic two-story stairway. The lobby’s terrazzo
floor can be seen prominently upon entry to the building, and also from the balcony
and meeting room that overlook the space from the second floor.
Entrance Lobby
Entrance Plaza
The floor of the entrance lobby in the building has been selected as a location for an
art element embedded in the proposed terrazzo floor as a part of New jersey Arts
Council Arts Inclusion Program. The floor plan with the terrazzo floor proposed for
the artwork is shown in the floor plan above. The area of the terrazzo floor for the art
work is 2950 sft.
Budget:
Date for completion:
$150,000
November 2016