Education
Located in Manchester Hall on Wake Forest’s Reynolda Campus, this interior renovation provided for upgrading teaching, learning and office space for the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. An underutilized classroom with small faculty offices has been converted into a centrally located Math Center. The Center functions as the “front door” to the Department and provides a vibrant, flexible learning environment for Undergraduate and Graduate students. Classrooms have been upgraded with new furniture and audio visual equipment to increase flexibility and adapt to different teaching methodologies. Additionally, the design reconfigures the existing third floor office and seminar room space to accommodate a dedicated Graduate student study space, additional faculty office and support space, break out areas and a signature department entry feature.
Winston-Salem, NC
15 months
3,006 sq feet
Interior Design
STITCH Design Shop strived to maintain four design concepts throughout the creative process: Create an atmosphere of active learning with flexible opportunities for workspaces, efficiency of layout for accessibility, accessible infrastructure and technology, and a design that speaks to the identity and character of the Math Department at Wake Forest University.
Walking into the Center, students are met by the Wake Forest Gold “Welcome” graphic at the administrative desk located in the central spine along with custom millwork infilled with multi-color acrylic panels. Custom millwork with integrated power supplies a quiet space where students and faculty can sit at the bar-height surface to work. An adjacent collaborative study space provides a variety of access to technology, resource materials, mobile whiteboards, and furnishings suitable to active learning. The perimeter of the space houses four-person study rooms, a large eight-person flexible break-out room, and two-person tutoring rooms.
Dynamic carpet tile flooring with colorful geometric shapes in the central spine and perimeter study rooms reinforce the interconnected nature of mathematical theory and their relevance to nature and the world around us. A saturated color palette with playful application of graphics was used to generate interest and establish visual continuity throughout the Department’s spaces. Linear suspension lighting in each study room not only adds task lighting but acoustical value for moments when privacy is needed. Clerestory windows in each study room help to radiate natural light from the rear windows of the interior to the front of the Center.
Working closely with the faculty at Wake Forest, the final design of the offices are solid doors and gypsum walls with a glass clerestory to allow for greater connectivity and light penetration while maintaining privacy. A collaborative room at the entry of the third-floor office space provides group seating for up to eight people. Located adjacent to the entry, a dedicated Graduate student study space provides privacy with proximity to faculty support. Students have access to lockable storage, a variety of white board materials, and flexible furniture to allow for individual and group work for as many as 18 students.
