In presenting its design solution for a research and teaching facility devoted to sustainable energy and conservation at Princeton University, Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects | Partners (TWBTA) surprised the selection committee. As Ronald McCoy, the university architect, recalls, the team showed a sketch of its proposed buildings poking above a photo of an old brick wall, and called their scheme “Enter into the Garden.” The rendering referred to the site on the northeastern edge of the leafy campus. Formerly devoted to playing fields and an athletics facility (now demolished), it was bounded on two sides by the masonry wall that McKim, Mead & White designed in 1911. This fragment of history intrigued the architects: “The wall seemed to hold a secret,” says Billie Tsien. “We wanted to make it feel as if you were coming into a hidden garden.”
While Williams and Tsien had already designed two major science facilities—the Neurosciences Institute in La Jolla, California (1995) and Skirkanich Hall at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia (2007)—“the garden idea was a compelling premise for the selection committee,” McCoy says.
You have 0 complimentary articles remaining.
Unlimited access + premium benefits for as low as $1.99/month.