Swarthmore College and Community Commons Dinners
Swarthmore, Pa.
Merit Award
Sent by: Warfel Construction Co.
Owner: Swarthmore College
Principal Design Company and MEP Engineer: DLR Group
General contractor: Warfel Construction Co.
Civil Engineer: Lang
Structural Engineer: O’Donnell and Naccarato
Landscape architect: Jonathan Alderson Landscape Architects
Historic Preservation: Conservation of modern buildings
Completed on budget and on schedule in 43 months, the multi-phase addition and renovation to the existing dining hall at the heart of campus includes a 42,000-square-foot solid wood dining hall.
The first phase of the massive wood addition incorporates most of the dining room and dining room changes; the second phase renovated the existing dining room. The team also built the shell of a 14,000 square meter geothermal plant in the basement of the new building. The geothermal plant itself is being projected.
The building also features a high-performance building envelope and systems combined with healthy and carbon-conscious materials. The project team is pursuing Petal Living Building Challenge certification.
Value management with the design team and owner reduced project costs to meet Swarthmore’s budget, including designing a curved roof that was not part of the original plan. The new form increased the internal volume of the building while minimizing the external envelope of the structure. This dramatically reduced construction costs and increased the feasibility of incorporating the rooftop solar power system.
