The design reinforces the interconnected university environment by drawing students in through a new glass curtainwall that creates permeability between the building and the WKU community. Acting as a connector, the commons links the campus together, shedding a formerly obstructive addition and creating an accessible path that extends through the building and site. By removing enclosed sections of the exterior and restoring 14 skylights, the design visually unites all levels of the 3-story building while giving the main space ample daylight.
To create dynamic and connected spaces while accommodating the need for sound control, smell control, and differing mechanical needs, the team took a typical central 3-story atrium and shifted it at the middle floor to create two connected, yet separate, spaces. This shift allowed for two distinct bi-level spaces, eliminating the need for a costly smoke-evac system. The upper 2-story space exposes the volume of the former gymnasium, while the second is pushed to the perimeter of the building, engaging the campus hill while connecting down to the basement level. A central stair and circulation path joins the two spaces at the heart of the building at the former center basketball court.
Interior materials reinforce the historic nature of the building with black textured wood, reflecting barns scattered throughout the area, and exposed steel, celebrating the structural frame of the existing building and industrial past of the region.
Celebrating Kentucky’s climate and surrounding nature, the exterior renovation thoughtfully uses the existing building as a physical link in the hilly topography of central campus, acting as an accessible path between the upper and lower campus. A large stair connects the program, joining the active food hall to the traditional quiet spaces and giving students the opportunity to move freely between floors from the exterior. Inside and out, the renovation embodies a new focus on wellness for its users, bringing more daylight into the building and strategically using the site for tiered outdoor seating.
THE OUTCOME: A VIBRANT ACADEMIC HUB
Designed for all, The Commons at Helm Library hosts the diverse student population—more than one-third are the first generation in their families to attend college—through warm, inclusive space types for various academic and social experiences. As a unique campus landmark, the new program builds on the heritage of the building as a center for student activity by offering a flexible space to engage individuals and connect disciplines across campus.
As the new intellectual hub in the historic heart of the campus, The Commons at Helm Library successfully achieves the goal of creating a new destination for WKU’s students and faculty while honoring the building’s historic past. With adaptive reuse and sustainability at the forefront of the design, the commons gives a versatile, inviting new face to the library by shaping environments that support the next generation.
PHOTOS: NICK MCGINN | DESIGN BY GENSLER unless otherwise noted
RECOGNITION FOR THE COMMONS
To date, Gensler has earned awards for its work at The Commons at Helm Library at Western Kentucky University from the following organizations:
- AIA Chicago
- AIA Kentucky
- IIDA Illinois
Retrofit Team
ARCHITECT AND INTERIOR DESIGNER: Gensler
- Meghan Webster, AIA, LEED AP, principal in charge
- Janette Scott, AIA, project architect
- Brian Watson, AIA, design director
- Sarah Adams, NCIDQ, senior interior designer
- Brian Vitale, AIA, design principal
ARCHITECT OF RECORD AND CIVIL, LANDSCAPE, STRUCTURAL AND MEP ENGINEER: Luckett & Farley
OWNER: Western Kentucky University
ACOUSTICS: Threshold Acoustics
FOOD SERVICE CONSULTANT: Cini Little
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: A&K Construction
GLAZING INSTALLER: BowlingGreenGlass Co.
Materials
PANELS: BauBuche from Pollmeier
TILE: American Olean and Ceramic Technics
ACOUSTICAL FINISH: K-13 Thermal Insulation from International Cellulose Corp.
TERRAZZO COUNTERTOP AT COFFEE SHOP: Concrete Collaborative
RED SOFA: Herman Miller
WALLCOVERING: Designtex
CEILING BAFFLES: Solo Baffle from Ecophon
PENDANT LIGHT: Sonneman
ARCHITECTURAL GLASS: Vitro Architectural Glass
INTERIOR GLASS: DIRTT