Smith College Campus Center in Northampton, Massachusetts by Weiss Manfredi

The design clarifies Chapin Lawn, an expansive oval feature of Frederick Law Olmsted's original site plan that had never been fully realized. By redefining this important element, the center establishes a prominent new setting for the 136-year-old school's historic structures.

The longitudinal expanse of the building's exterior is clad in a white-stained wood panel system reminiscent of board-and-batten construction and akin to the white clapboard construction of many Northampton buildings. Articulated by a seemingly random sequence of battens, the wood cladding activates the planar surface and weatherproofs the building with an innovative rainscreen assembly comprised of wood, plywood, steel, and insulation.

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Throughout the atrium and in the dining hall, two related sets of café tables populate the space. A fragment of a highly chromatic botanical image printed on acetate is suspended within the cast-resin tabletops; when arranged together, the tables complete the botanical image.

Architects: Weiss/Manfredi
Project Area: 60,000 sqf
Photographs: Jeff Goldberg