Cochran Library was one of the first buildings constructed as part of the original master plan designed by notable collegiate architect Ralph Adams Cram. Its handsome central reading room remains the only fully intact Cram-designed interior space on campus.

VMDO’s addition to the library respects Cram’s vision for the building by strategically locating new programs around the original core of the structure and preserving its historically significant elevations and major public spaces. “Liberating” the library from a cramped 1965 addition that buried much of Cram’s design, the addition reestablishes sight lines to campus, enhances daylighting, and highlights the original architecture while preserving the building’s continued use as a library. The modern yet complementary addition employs traditional materials featured in the campus context – including cast stone, brick, and slate – ensuring that the historic design of the library remains dominant.

Compact shelving, hidden below the new west terrace addition, pulls the bulk of the collection out of the core of the historic building, opening up the original architecture and restoring the grandeur of the 1929 spaces. A vaulted gallery along the front of the entry façade has been reopened as a 24-hour study area with student art adorning the arcade’s niches.

Completed over a decade-long collaboration, the addition of Cochran Library complements a highly esteemed building and propels the College into the evolving landscape of learning space design.