Perkins and Will is a multinational design firm that was established in 1935. Dar Al-Handasah of Lebanon has been the group’s parent company since 1986. Phil Harrison has served as the company’s CEO since 2006.
Lawrence B. Perkins and Philip Will, Jr. created Perkins and Will more than 80 years ago based on the belief that has guided every design decision they’ve made that their “ideas and buildings” must always “honour the broader goals of society” that is, individuals must always be at the centre of efforts.
They have a holistic approach towards design, they believe that the bottomline and greatdesign should not be mutually exclusive.Their works are extremely functional and built to last, right from the opening day as well as after a long term.
Perkins and Will, as designers, think that society’s larger aims should be:
– to use design to better people’s lives
– to build places that conserve and safeguard our planet’s natural resources
– to build sustainable, high-performance, environmentally-conscious spaces and places in which to live, learn, work, play, heal, move, and explore
– to provide healthy environments in which to live, learn, work, play, heal, move, and explore
– to strive for excellence in all parts of our work
– to build a supportive and collaborative environment
– to act with integrity and constantly respect others
– to invest in our talent, foster innovative thinking, and together achieve a greater good
Case Western Reserve University Tinkham Veale University Center
Concept | Tinkham Veale University Center
The Tinkham Veale University Center is one of the most remarkable facilities that Case Western Reserve University has lately added to its campus. The 82,000 square-foot complex, which opened in August 2014, stands out on two levels: visually for its unique architecture and conceptually for its campus cohesion.
The need for a functional campus center was noted in the 2005 Case Western Reserve University master plan. The University Center, which serves as the new center of campus, was meant to encourage an inclusive atmosphere among students, instructors, staff, and the community while also offering basic facilities in the form of office spaces and common areas. This objective is addressed directly in the planning and architectural concept, which supports an interactive atmosphere.
Three wings hug the earth, becoming a landscraper.” The Tink” acts as a bridge, connecting the east and west sides of campus, thanks to its expansive glass façade and sloping green roof.
The Tink is the campus’s new beating heart. It’s the first time CWRU has had a large-scale, purpose-built hub, one that embodies the university’s branding song, “Think Beyond the Possible.”
Plan
The new university center at Case Western Reserve University comprises student gathering areas, cafeteria facilities, conference rooms, and offices for student groups. It is located in the heart of three individually designated campus zones. The new structure has three wings that are meant to let students from all three zones connect and act as a hub for the whole campus.
The team created a planning concept based on this larger context that includes entry points on each side of the building, creating an inviting, open, and transparent design; there is no “back of the building,” which relates to natural student paths across campus and site-specific context given the challenging site and close proximity to existing adjacent buildings.
A huge open field lies adjacent to the property, which stands atop a two-story underground parking complex. Because of the inadequate structure and excessive hydrostatic pressure, construction on the area above the garage was banned. To prevent structural problems and optimize floor plate sizes, the two sides nearest to the field and subterranean parking structure are cantilevered above the garage.
The building’s structure is a folded plate of green roofs that sprout out of the land, with transparent walls below that provide vistas to the outdoors. A double-height gathering space connects the two levels of the structure at the convergence of the three wings.
This area is enclosed by a double-glazed wall that allows for western views of the field and an art museum beyond while reducing heat impacts.
Sustainability | Tinkham Veale University Center
The project is LEED Gold in site development, water, and energy efficiency, use of sustainable materials, and interior environmental quality since it was built with sustainability in mind during design, construction, and operation. Renewable energy solutions, daylight harvesting, natural ventilation, radiant heating and cooling, and chilled beam systems are all employed.
A sloping green roof with photovoltaic panels merges the building with nature both aesthetically and practically, while a unique double-skin glass curtain wall reduces solar heat gain.
The 3-foot hollow cavity between the outer monolithic façade and the inside insulated glass façade employs mechanical ventilation to manage the transmission of heat while enabling for simplicity of maintenance. The resultant fusion of architectural features, which used Sentech’s VertraFin H-Series System, met all of the project’s energy, functional, and aesthetic goals while permitting for total transparency and a fully glazed solution that helps to reduce energy consumption in both the winter and summer seasons.
