Taylor & Burns Architects' Bennington College project honored by SCUP

Taylor & Burns Architects' design for the 7,000 s/f Student Center at Bennington College has been recognized with the honor award for excellence in architecture for a new building, conferred jointly by the Society for College & University Planning (SCUP) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The construction team for the $3.7 million project included: Reed Hildebrand Associates Inc.; The Collaborative Engineers; Acentech; Otter Creek Engineers, Inc.; and Ricca/Newmark Design. The project entailed the expansion of the old 3,000 s/f brick cafe into a 7,000 s/f mixed-use center. The new student center has a shed roof that slopes diagonally to a height of 36 feet at its peak and is supported by exposed glue-laminated beams. The building has cedar rainscreen cladding detailed as vertical battens. A broad wall of fenestration is enhanced with glass doors that can be raised to open the interior space to an outdoor brick terrace. The Bennington Student Center design has won other awards: * honor award for design excellence from the Boston Society of Architects * and honor award for excellence in architecture from the American Institute of Architects New England Chapter.