DePauw University New School of Business and Leadership

At DePauw University, Studio Ma has completed the adaptation of an existing philosophy building into a new, open, airy, and vibrant business school. The existing facility has been in continuous use since 1939; the original first-floor plan was programmed with faculty offices that wrapped around the building’s perimeter and dark interior hallways. Privileging offices along the perimeter resulted in inequitable access to daylight, which was both practically and conceptually unsuccessful. The private and less-used spaces received the most light and air, while the public frequently-used spaces of the building, located towards the interior, felt dark and unwelcoming.

Studio Ma surgically opened the floor plan and introduced a new central hallway spine, which improved connectivity between classrooms, offices, and public spaces. The previous floor plan never offered a space for arrival or gathering; the client asked us to find a way to create a democratic space for collaboration amongst students and faculty. Addressing the need for a “there there” place, and increasing openness and access, Studio Ma created a double-height atrium known as the Hub Space that communicates between levels and establishes a place of arrival. Throughout the building, the floor plan promotes transparency using glazing walls at room entries. This approach has resulted in more borrowed daylight and visual access to the exterior campus throughout the floor. Over the course of the day the sun and exterior environment transforms the Hub Space acting as a conduit and activating the room’s use.

Interior materials were selected around the region’s rich history of woodworking artisans. The wood wainscot and wood room portals are a contemporary interpretation of these traditional collegiate architectural features found throughout campus. The main focal feature in the Hub Space is a wood accent wall that transitions into the room’s ceiling. The feature wall becomes the hearth for all to gather around.