PENN STATE UNIVERSITY - DICKINSON SCHOOL OF LAW
CARLISLE, PENNSYLVANIA
Hargreaves Associates is collaborating with Polshek Partnership Architects to create a new identity for the Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The building and site are unified through a common ground plane motif expressed as meandering bands that spill out from the building to become lawn, groundcover or paving. The bands accommodate a variety of program including small informal gatherings and outdoor alumni events. The highly sculptural space continues through the building and on a green roof as well. At the main entrance, sandstone steps and flowering trees along an accessible pathway provide a gathering space as well as a threshold to the new building. Regional plant communities are abstracted into garden forms and accentuate strong verticality in contrast to the linear building. Pathways bisect the gardens to create intimate seating. The design of the planted roof will contribute to LEED certification of the building.