The Lawrenceville School Gruss Center for Art and Design / Sasaki

Architects:Sasaki

Area:17000m²

Year:2020

Photographs:Jane Messinger

Manufacturers:Cupa Pizarras,Cupaclad,Tremco,Assa Abloy,ELEVATE,Alcotex,Dorma,Glen-Gery,Kawneer,Teknion,Viracon,WR Meadows

Structural Engineer:RSE Associates Inc

Civil Engineer:Reynolds Group

General Contractor:V.J. Scozzari & Sons

Lighting:HLB Lighting Design

Principal In Charge:Vinicius Gorgati

Project Leader:Marta Guerra-Pastrián, Lucilla Rosso

Project Archtiect:Robert Genova, Grace Tsai Lehrbach

Landscape Architect:Andrew Gutterman, Radhika Mahan

MEP/FP:VanZelm

AV:Acentech

City:Lawrence Township

Country:United States

Text description provided by the architects. The Gruss Center for Art and Design is a new 21st-century student learning center and maker space at The Lawrenceville School that bridges museum space and the school’s visual arts studios. The strategy for enclosure responds to this new typology with simple, neutral materials that allow for transparency and student engagement with the activities happening inside.

Today’s shift in educational paradigm centers on project-based learning to promote cross-disciplinary teaching. Students realize their potential world impact by making things with their hands and fostering their creativity through group collaboration. The project aims to nurture this hands-on culture.

Work-focused spaces are organized across three levels and include a forum for student engagement, wood and metal shops, clean labs, print and seminar rooms, and large storage areas. The “flex room”, which floats over the forum, is a 2,000-square-foot space that can be divided to suit a variety of needs.

Project gallery

Project location

Address:Lawrenceville, Lawrence Township, NJ 08648, United States