In alignment with the One Oberlin Strategic Plan, the office of Facilities Planning and Construction engaged Bostwick Design Partnership to investigate the viability of renovating the Hales Gymnasium / Annex / Crane Pool complex to provide a consolidated location for the state-of-the-art Studio Art facility and teaching pedagogy.
The Studio Art faculty and staff generously toured the architects and engineers through their existing facilities so that the team could better understand the unique needs of each space. The knowledge that was gained was applied towards programming and planning the Studio Art Department within the Hales Gym and Crane Pool complex. Two planning options were developed through the combined work of the design team and the Oberlin team.
While each planning option had a different strategy for locating the program spaces throughout the complex, both options included the addition of new floors within both Hales and Crane. This created the additional square footage necessary to fit the program, while also optimizing views and access to natural light. Both options also accommodated new vertical circulation to upgrade the complex to be ADA accessible.
