UCLA Pritzker Hall Modernization

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[],"markups":[],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"This modernization of an iconic UCLA\nbuilding originally designed by Paul Revere Williams, FAIA, in 1967 greatly\nextends the life of a midcentury classic while shaping dynamic learning spaces for\nthe university\u2019s psychology department. The project also honors the important\nlegacy of Williams, who as the first African American to become a licensed\narchitect west of the Mississippi River helped define Los Angeles\u2019\narchitectural vernacular despite the adversity of the time. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Pritzker Hall, originally known as\nFranz Psychology Tower, is the easternmost wing of three interconnected\nbuildings that house UCLA\u2019s psychology department. At more than 125,000 square\nfeet stretched across 11 levels, the building was one of the first major\nprojects planned and constructed during the university\u2019s first long-range\ndevelopment plan. Decidedly modern, Pritzker Hall reflects a shift from\nInternational Style to the more robust monumental architecture of the 1960s."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"To initiate the project, the team\nproduced an overarching program and master plan to support the growing\ndepartment\u2019s requirements and provide additional lab space for its expanding\nneuroscience research. The team also needed to correct the building\u2019s seismic\ndeficiencies, and the project\u2019s structural engineers worked closely with the\nuniversity\u2019s engineering school to create an extensive computational and\nphysical modeling study to fine-tune the structural retrofit and minimize the\nimpacts on the building\u2019s architectural character."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The renovation of Pritzker Hall\u2019s exterior\nincludes a new accessible entry and landscaping, where seating areas\naccommodate impromptu gatherings near the campus\u2019s famed inverted fountain. The\nfacade was also upgraded with a two-story curtainwall, which maintains the\nmodulation of the previous single-story storefront and also incorporates a\nshadowbox that evokes the horizontal lines formed by the building\u2019s original\ncement plaster banding. A structural upgrade includes slender dampers that act\nas the building\u2019s shock absorbers during seismic events."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Inside, Pritzker Hall\u2019s spaces for\nteaching, research, and collaboration were modernized and upgraded. Its\noriginal lobby, once cramped and devoid of amenities, is now a double-height\nspace that highlights the building\u2019s original architectural elements. The\nexposed structural waffle slab on the second floor and marble-clad walls have\ntransformed the lobby into a spacious and bright study space. Throughout,\ncontemporary finishes recall Williams\u2019 original midcentury design features and\ncolor palette, while a mix of furnishings supports collaboration or relaxation.\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The project added 10 new classrooms,\ntwo active learning studios, two computer labs, a lounge for graduate students,\nand four conference rooms on the building\u2019s lower three levels. The floors\nabove include new light-filled and technology-equipped offices for graduate,\npost-doctorate, and full-time faculty members\u2014all of which increased in size due\nto the team\u2019s reconfiguration of the interior partitions, which also added new windows\nto each office. Amenities and social spaces for students are tucked into nooks\nat the ends of corridors and around the elevator on each floor. New windows\nthere draw in natural light and offer views of the surrounding campus."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Williams was a\nformidable designer, whose voice in the design community forged a path for\nother African American architects to follow. In preserving this important\nbuilding, UCLA has retained an important piece of architectural history that\nencourages its students to persevere as they prepare to make their own mark on\nthe world."]]]]}