当今的教育理念崇尚通过以项目为基础的学习方法来促进跨学科教学。学生通过亲自动手制作、与团队积极协同从而培养创新能力的方式来认识自身与世界的关系。本项目旨在营造“注重动手能力”的文化。

The GCAD sits in between the Museum and the Visual Arts Studios, creating a connection between the art being conceived, crafted, and exhibited. The generous 2,000SF flex room echoes in scale the double height spaces at the rotunda in the Museum and the Visual arts Studios. All spaces are connected in section to allow for visibility and for natural light to enter all rooms in the building.

The program arrangement leverages visibility – across the plan and between floors – toward inclusivity and ease of access. A tiered forum works as a pivotal connector between the maker areas on the main floor and the VR/robotics suite on the level below. On the top floor is a multi-flex room, conceived independently of programmatic ownership to support multiple curricular and non-curricular activities. Writable folding panels allow for variable subdivision while a surrounding clerestory filters natural light into the four quadrants of the space.

The architectural parti consists of a contemporary insert within two traditional campus structures, balancing the raw and polished through the interplay between metal, steel and glass with vernacular masonry. The broad curtain wall on the main facade plays dual roles: as a mirror to campus during daylight and a lantern into internal activity at night. Other tectonic moves are contemporary allusions to traditional craft, such as the slate panels on the rear facade relating to the cupola roof. 

The open access of the building to all students and visitors fosters creativity and collaboration and brings the multidisciplinary activities that are happening inside on full display. Both lobby and forum spaces connect a void space where one can see, be seen, work, and linger. They are designed to be places that allow for impromptu gatherings and spark conversation. The facade at the lobby opens fluidly into the plaza at the front, making it another working room outdoors.

Work-focused spaces are organized across three levels and include a forum for student engagement, wood and metal shops, clean labs, print and seminar rooms, and large storage areas. The “flex room”, which floats over the forum, is a 2,000-square-foot space that can be divided to suit a variety of needs. The central forum stair engages with the lobby at GCAD and with the entrance to the Museum, while creating a double height space that brings light into the basement

楼内三层都按功能进行区域划分，包含了供学生互动的论坛、木工坊与金属实作空间、无菌实验室、三维打印与研讨室以及宽敞的储物空间。悬浮在论坛空间顶端的弹性空间面积为 2,000 平方英尺（约186平方米），可按各类空间需求进行灵活隔断。

The design addressed the importance of flexibility from the very early stages of envisioning the building program. All rooms were designed with connectivity to larger shared areas, while still providing intimate spaces for more focused activities. The architectural approach of embracing uncertainty and flexibility as a design criterion has proven to be very useful, as Lawrenceville was able to adapt the building’s use during COVID-19.