
Trinity College, Admissions Building
Hartford, Connecticut
Trinity’s Admissions Building defines one edge of an intimate quadrangle on the northwest edge of campus. The resulting cloister-like effect creates a welcoming sense of scale and place for visitors and prospective students.
Project Information
SIZE
30,000 SF
COMPLETED
2001
AWARDS
AIA Tri-State Honor Award
The three-story admissions building is tucked into the side of a hill with only the upper level visible from the main approach, dramatically reducing the building’s apparent mass. The top floor, a transparent pavilion of timber, steel and glass, rests on the solid base formed by the lower two floors. Along the length of the upper level, a limestone colonnade supports a timber trellis, recalling the neighboring chapel’s Gothic buttresses. On the opposite side, the building’s increased height re-engages with the larger scale of Trinity’s main campus green and the nearby chapel steeple. Stone walls and brises-soleil frame a window pattern that remains modern while harmonizing with traditional campus architecture. The two sides are linked by a smaller stone plaza and fountain.