Hope College, Phelps Dining Hall Renovation

The program for renovating Phelps Hall provided a unique and creative solution that transformed a multi-use building into a student-centric experience and 21st-century dining venue. The existing building had been the main dining hall on campus for more than 50 years and is in a combined building typology, with two floors of student housing, a campus conference center and the main kitchen. The existing serving and dining space was compartmentalized, dark and unattractive. The college’s food service delivery methodology was shifting to scattered venues. Students desired more varied choices for dining venues, including open spaces and private study spaces, along with new furniture types and choices for comfort and usability.
The design solution created a new front door to the dining space that is visible to campus and directly orients the students to the variety of food venues. These venues were set apart with differing interior materials and ceiling planes to create a specific characteristic for each area. The complete floor plan is very open to accommodate visual connection and space orientation while enabling areas to be unique and intimate.

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