Northeastern University Snell Engineering
Adaptive Reuse and Renovations

Located at the heart of Northeastern’s Campus, the renovated Snell Engineering learning spaces include two tiered 200-seat classrooms, an adjacent informal gathering space (an Exchange space), a new vestibule, and a tutoring suite.

With budget constraints and sustainability in mind, the design focused on repurposing existing spaces and materials, creating a contemporary aesthetic and minimizing construction waste. Solid oak paneling lined the classroom walls, but an aged finish obscured the beauty of the underlying wood.  By leaving the paneling in place, refinishing, and slicing in embedded LED ‘rays’, this original material was refreshed and modernized. Extending the service life of the oak allowed embodied carbon savings to the project. Improvements to the IT infrastructure, including powered seating, increased connectivity and remote learning access.

The Exchange Space, repurposed from a storage room and defunct lab, creates a new study space and pass-through connecting central campus thoroughfares. The Space is lined with undulating felt wall panels on one side and a custom mural by artist Katy Ann Gilmore on the other.

A new, oversized glass vestibule creates an inviting ‘front door’ to the Exchange space and adjoining classrooms while providing additional gathering space.  This entry greatly improves wheelchair access to the lower level of the classrooms.

The tutoring suite capitalized on oversize office space adjacent to the building lobby to improve access to academic support. The solid wall shared with the lobby was replaced with a folding glass partition to improve visual connection and offer programmatic flexibility outside of tutoring hours.