An addition and renovation combined to transform an 1880s residence into a campus welcome center and administrative hub.
Clarke House, a Victorian Gothic style residence, was designed by Frank Furness and built in 1883. A renovation involved upgrading the wood-framed floors to support office loading for the admissions department. Parallel strand lumber (PSL) members were introduced at the third level to strengthen the floors where construction of a previous alteration proved inferior. Existing cut-off original rafters were spliced with steel channels to support the PSLs where the building wall steps back.
An 18,000-sf expansion provides additional office space to house public relations, financial aid, and a visitor center. The addition consists of a three-story, steel-framed structure with pre-manufactured wood trusses. A wrap-around timber-framed porch continues the architectural spirit of the original Furness design.
The Benham Gateway won a 2002 Philadelphia AIA Honor Award for Design Excellence.
An addition and renovation combined to transform an 1880s residence into a campus welcome center and administrative hub.
Clarke House, a Victorian Gothic style residence, was designed by Frank Furness and built in 1883. A renovation involved upgrading the wood-framed floors to support office loading for the admissions department. Parallel strand lumber (PSL) members were introduced at the third level to strengthen the floors where construction of a previous alteration proved inferior. Existing cut-off original rafters were spliced with steel channels to support the PSLs where the building wall steps back.
An 18,000-sf expansion provides additional office space to house public relations, financial aid, and a visitor center. The addition consists of a three-story, steel-framed structure with pre-manufactured wood trusses. A wrap-around timber-framed porch continues the architectural spirit of the original Furness design.
The Benham Gateway won a 2002 Philadelphia AIA Honor Award for Design Excellence.
CLIENT: Buell Kratzer Powell
LOCATION: Bryn Mawr, PA
TYPE: Academic, Historic, SERVICES: Adaptive Reuse, Addition, MATERIALS: Steel, Wood, SUSTAINABILITY: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Completed project photography © Jeffrey Totaro
