Spacesmith Reimagines Library, Transforms Classrooms for Columbia University

In order to make this classroom space inclusive, two smaller rooms were designed as dedicated testing areas for students with documented disabilities. This provides students with a more intimate, quiet work area that offers significant natural light. Two larger rooms are utilized for classes and lecture halls, featuring rows of fixed table systems with seats that are able to rotate 180 degrees so that students can easily collaborate when needed. The largest lecture room, able to hold 125 students, provides ADA accessible seating throughout, as well as state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment.

“We are seeing with our clients that classrooms are assigned to a multitude of departments and professors,” says architect Will Wong AIA, LEED AP, an associate with Spacesmith  “Instead of the traditional professor dictating the content scenario, we are seeing collaborative group work environments that require mobile, adjustable furniture, and private spaces for students to huddle together.”

The project highlights Spacesmith’s relentless commitment to designing functional, research-driven spaces that respond to evolving university needs; specifically, adaptable furniture and noise reduction. Prior to beginning, the firm completed a feasibility study and schematic design that also included direct feedback from key stakeholders, faculty and several administrative departments.