Bucknell University, Hildreth-Mirza Hall Renovation

Design Team: Scott Loercher, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C (Principal-in-Charge); Thomas Celli, AIA (Senior Architect); Nathaniel Burdette (Project Manager); Robert Cramer, PE (Project Manager); Christopher Urban, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP BD+C (Project Designer)

Hildreth-Mirza Hall is now home to Bucknell University’s Humanities Center. The renovation and adaptive reuse of this 1940s fraternity house have created an inviting space for students to gather and collaborate on humanities initiatives.

The renovation and addition added an elevator and accessible restrooms while increasing interior space by almost 50%. A three-story atrium with skylights connects the new great room, library, and space for the university newspaper. The original oak woodwork was carefully replicated throughout the inside of the building. The design of the new entrance complements the buildings opposite Hildreth-Mirza Hall on a historic quadrangle surrounded by old growth trees. The new roof consists of interlocking clay tiles and copper flashings, gutters and downspouts.

The LEED Silver-certified project features a high-performance façade, windows, and roof insulation that reduce energy use by 35.2%. A green roof, Shakespearean garden and interior living wall were developed using water-conserving plants, which reduce potable water use by 22%.

The university describes the new hub as the sort of environment “integral to the deep living-learning experience” offered at Bucknell.

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