Northwestern University is articulating its vision for the southeastern section of its Evanston campus, releasing on Friday renderings for a new Visitors Center and Sailing Center. These unite with drawings for a new Bienen School of Music building, put forth a couple weeks prior. The structures make diverse neighbors to one another, each rendered by different architects. According to the official announcement, the Visitors Center, designed by Perkins + Will, is a 170,000-square-foot facility hosting meeting rooms, offices, and a 160-seat auditorium. This will be the new staging site for campus tours and info sessions.
The other large project launching is the new lakeside Bienen Music School facility. Designed by Goettsch Partners, the limestone and glass building will hold offices, 140 practice rooms, and a 400-seat recital hall. Its stacked and slanted presentation suggests a fluid impermanence, like it will eventually slide into the lake. The final building is David Woodhouse Architects' Sailing Center, meant to replace the existing boathouse. It'll essentially be 5,000-square-feet of communal space and storage. All three structures seem to really respect the lakefront in their material choices and scale. Major components of the $151M Southeast Campus Development Plan, construction should commence on all three over the summer, with various completion dates.
·New Visitors Center Planned [NU]
·New Lakefront Bienen School Building [NU]