餐厅和体育活动综合楼，营造学院温馨空间

劳伦斯维尔中学蔡崇信餐厅和体育活动综合楼

Exterior at dusk facing the Tsai Commons and Field House from across the campus with circulation paths leading to the glowing lights inside

业主: The Lawrenceville School
位置: Lawrenceville, NJ
规模: 253,000 GSF | 23 acre site
Photographer: Jeremy Bittermann

专业领域: 建筑
额外服务: 市政工程; 景观; 规划与城市设计
现况: Phase 2 Completed 2024

荣获奖项: The Architect’s Newspaper, Best of Design Awards, Honorable Mention, Unbuilt – Education category

蔡崇信餐厅和体育活动综合楼是劳伦斯维尔中学总体规划实施的第二阶段性项目，全方位融合娱乐、身心健康、运动和餐饮等丰富资源，重新规划学生的校园生活。

规划方案包括新建教学楼和修复历史悠久的Lavino球场。全新设施包括溜冰场、篮球馆、游泳池和健身中心等多个功能室。体育馆的建成投入可容纳多所学校举办的大型活动。

Aerial photo of the entire facility on a sunny afternoon

Designing for Scale and Form

A departure from traditional recreational structures which are often characterized by large, imposing structures and uninterrupted horizontal volumes, the new Tsai Commons and Field House maintains the scale and material palette reflective of its surrounding campus structures. To accomplish this while meeting programming requirements and operating within the site’s constraints, large venues such as the swimming pool, ice rink, and basketball courts are tucked into the sloping site topography, taking advantage of the height difference of the site in section while leaving the upper floor as a concourse level for user and spectator visibility into the venues below.

The facade of the new construction with repeated building masses with curved rooflines and large windows

The new Field House’s curved roofscape subdivides the scale of the building

新的学生餐厅每天可接待500多名学生及教职员工，其中还包括专为高一新生巧妙打造的跃层空间。主楼各个功能区融会贯通，为促进校园社区和谐生活发挥了积极作用。

The interior of the new gymnasium with it's large volume, curved, wooden ceiling, and volleyball practice on the court

Inside the dining hall entry with views outside the large windows to the campus beyond, and the large wood ceiling curving overhead while catching the light coming through the clerestory

Interior photograph of ice hockey arena with curved ceiling above the rink

The elegant, curved ceilings are visible across venues and give the building its distinct character while breaking down the scale, making each venue human-scaled and approachable

Inside the pool area, with a view from behind the water polo team facing the pool and the upper level spectator bleacher seating and the curved ceiling framing the space from above.

The Harkness Courtyard

The Harkness Courtyard represents a confluence of two significant elements of the Lawrenceville School’s culture: the Harkness method and the campus’s landscape, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. Central to the Lawrenceville School’s education model is the Harkness method, which uses student-centered discussion around an oval table to encourage critical thinking and inclusive dialogue. The design team reinterpreted this philosophy, taking the shape of the table and the idea of “harkness” and making it into a new place for community life.

Exterior photo of the oval Harkness Courtyard with it's wooden columns and entry on either side of the oval, connecting to the campus circulation routes

As an Olmsted designed campus, at Lawrenceville you always experience the buildings through the landscape, and the Harkness Courtyard is the element that transitions the experience of landscape into the building. Like the Harkness table, the courtyard represents a place of equality, sequencing an arrival and transition to the interior of the building.

Photo taken beneath the wooden overhang of the Harkness Courtyard, taken at dusk with the glowing light spilling out from the windows creating a welcoming entry.

Building upon the existing organization of campus around central open spaces, the Harkness Courtyard links the broader campus landscape and circulation to the building entry and provides opportunities for outdoor programming. At a larger scale, the project introduces a new gateway and entry road for the campus.

Photo from inside the building lobby, facing out to the rounded Harkness Courtyard, which is open to above and frames the blue sky.

A wooden canopy ringing the courtyard draws students into two ends of the lobby from the residential and academic sides of campus

Connectivity and Experience

Following the courtyard, the procession through the interior public spaces is highlighted through the use of wood materials. The repetition of wood, a warm and organic material, is designed as a unifying element that winds through the building’s dining and recreation areas and establishes a sense of welcome and common space.

Inside the lobby, there are views down the corridor on the main level, down the stairs, and outside to the Harkness Courtyard

The lobby arcs around the curved courtyard with the wooden ceiling creating a warm and welcoming experience

The curved profiles of the wooden ceilings are repeated throughout the design

A karate class inside the multipurpose fitness room, with floor to ceiling windows and a wooden ceiling with two vaulted, curved profiles above.

The wood materials continue in the multipurpose fitness room

The lobby arcs around the curved courtyard with the wooden ceiling creating a warm and welcoming experience

The curved profiles of the wooden ceilings are repeated throughout the design

The wood materials continue in the multipurpose fitness room

“We challenged Sasaki to design a facility that would reflect our mission of inspiring the best in each to seek the best for all and unite our community across myriad aspects of school life — athletics, dining, recreation, wellness, and simply being together. Tsai Field House is already fulfilling its destiny, thanks in large part to Sasaki’s ability to conceptualize a building that is both beautiful and functional, one that will energize our community for generations to come.”

-Steve Murray, Head of School

Driven by the school to ensure that the building belongs to everyone, the combination of program and the building’s design hold a great impact on everyday campus life by allowing the Tsai Field House to become a daily destination for students to meet and participate in both social and recreational activity.