Oakland University, School of Education and Human Services, Carlotta and Dennis Pawley Hall

This four-story, 132,000-square-foot facility includes general and demonstration classrooms, faculty offices, counseling facilities, a reading clinic and an early-childhood-development center.
The building, which faces a vast wooded area and wetlands, responds to its hilly site with a form that follows the natural contours. By building into the slope, the design provides separate, multiple-level entries for the school’s various programs. A central glass atrium separates the building into two wings, serves as a focal point of entry and provides a student gathering area with a spectacular panoramic view to the natural setting.
A major consideration in the design of the building’s exterior envelope was the balance of views to the natural surroundings with the need to control solar heat gain. This balance was achieved through the use of overhangs, sun-shading devices and carefully selected glass types.
The brick facade of the building’s western side blends with the surrounding campus environment, while the east elevation facing the wooded hillside is open and lightweight in appearance with expansive areas of glass and metal.

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