Project of the Year - Interiors

Hofstra University Hagedorn Hall

Some say the devil is in the details, but in the case of the renovation of Hofstra University's Hagedorn Hall, the details held magic instead.

"All of the architects really liked it," one judge said. "There were a lot of little surprises in the details and in the way things were handled."

advertisement

The $6.5 million project involved renovating a decommissioned federal courthouse in Hempstead, N.Y. The unusual 1960s-era circular structure now houses the Long Island university's School of Education and Allied Human Services and its Institute for Development in the Advanced Sciences.

The complete interior renovation built new cooling and electrical systems, classrooms, lecture rooms, conference rooms, a library, a cyber café and lounge, faculty offices, and two computer labs.

To accommodate the 65,000-sq.-ft. building's unorthodox layout, the project team built radial hallways from the existing windows into the interior corridors, bringing much-needed natural light to the inner core.

Due to budget limitations, the school decided not to redesign the façade and instead focus resources on an enlarged lobby and entryway. The striking, double-height hall has the "Media Wall" - an integrated bank of touch-screen monitors and LCD displays - as its main feature, providing students with campus information.

Throughout the facility, the use of primary colors livens areas with little natural light and provides contrast to a simple palette dominated by glass, stainless steel, aluminum, white oak, and concrete. "It's just a very nice-looking project," said one judge.