Client: Bob Jones Jr. Memorial Seminary
Location: Greenville, SC
Scope: 16,000 sf
Completion Date: 2000
Cost: Withheld
Although it had existed on campus for quite some time, the Seminary program had
no home to call its own. A stand alone building with dedicated classroom space,
study rooms, faculty offices and an auditorium was anticipated to be a great tool
in recruiting and retaining talented students and faculty for the program. Therefore,
the top priority for the client was to create a strong sense of physical identity.
In addition, the structure was to honor the men to whom it was dedicated and reflect
the spirit of the program. |
Client: Bob Jones Jr. Memorial Seminary
Location: Greenville, SC
Scope: 16,000 sf
Completion Date: 2000
Cost: Withheld
The majority of buildings on campus were built in a particular era and style
resulting in a uniform look of “boxy” buildings clad in a distinctive yellow brick.
One challenge presented to MCA was to create something unique – not another “yellow
box” – while still relating to the overall context.
To that end, brick was an obvious choice for the project. In addition, the existing
buildings across campus utilize intricate brick detailing in an effort to curtail
the effects of “boxy” forms. MCA chose an approach of paradoxes to achieve the
desired effects. We used dynamic forms to set the structure apart from the rest
and left out the intricate detailing. Rather, we pursued an exploration into brick
textures. |
Client: Bob Jones Jr. Memorial Seminary
Location: Greenville, SC
Scope: 16,000 sf
Completion Date: 2000
Cost: Withheld
To a great extent, the building was shaped by its environment:
1. The existing Library and Classroom Buildings were used to frame the entrance
to the new Seminary Building. What was previously a wide passageway has become
a forecourt to the new building by locating the entry rotunda on the center axis.
2. The Classroom Building had begun to form an outdoor courtyard space with two
of its walls. The careful placement of the Seminary Building and the positioning
of its masses resulted in creating a coherent outdoor space.
3. The “back” of the Seminary Building actually has the highest degree of public
visibility and therefore warranted an appropriate amount of animation. The curvature
of the facade, the terracing of the landscaping walls, and the trellis are responses,
in part, to the views from across this very public lawn.
4. Virtually all the buildings on campus, including the adjacent Classroom Building,
are built of a typical yellow brick. We adhered to that precedent, but added
a degree of visual interest by exploring texture and horizontal banding, as well
as a minimal cornice. |
Client: Bob Jones Jr. Memorial Seminary
Location: Greenville, SC
Scope: 16,000 sf
Completion Date: 2000
Cost: Withheld
A diagram of the building in its simplest form reveals two masses: an entry mass
(the rotunda) and a program mass.
The rotunda houses a gallery celebrating the history of evangelism and pays homage
to four of the school’s alumni. Architecturally, it provides a dramatic sense
of entry and anchors the building within the context of the adjacent buildings
and courtyard. This revitalizes the large gap between existing buildings, turning
it into an entry forecourt for the Seminary.
The program mass contains classrooms, faculty offices, study rooms and an auditorium.
It serves formally as a backdrop for the rotunda and serves as an edge for the
new entry courtyard. Additionally, the curvilinear side of the building addresses
the highly public views from the lawn and student housing to the rear of the site. |
Client: Bob Jones Jr. Memorial Seminary
Location: Greenville, SC
Scope: 16,000 sf
Completion Date: 2000
Cost: Withheld
The two dynamic masses shape the yellow brick into broad curves, round cylinders
and sharp angles. This is part of the paradoxical approach we adopted. This type
of attitude toward brick is the opposite of what one would expect providing a
distinctive contrast to the surrounding "flat" buildings. This is reinforced by
the alternation in brick texture and color. |
Client: Bob Jones Jr. Memorial Seminary
Location: Greenville, SC
Scope: 16,000 sf
Completion Date: 2000
Cost: Withheld
Another response to the “flatness” of surrounding structures, the curved sunscreen
over an exterior patio seen here (in addition to high performance glazing) modulates
daylight entering the auditorium on the southwest corner of the building. The
terraced retaining walls mitigate grade change across the site and provide another
opportunity to create visual interest. |
Client: Bob Jones Jr. Memorial Seminary
Location: Greenville, SC
Scope: 16,000 sf
Completion Date: 2000
Cost: Withheld
This image of the sunscreen and vertical supports reveals the attention to detail
taken by MCA in creating a rich environment in which to be. Additionally, this
was taken some three years after completion and shows how the landscaping has
filled in on the terraced retaining walls. |
Client: Bob Jones Jr. Memorial Seminary
Location: Greenville, SC
Scope: 16,000 sf
Completion Date: 2000
Cost: Withheld
The interior of the rotunda features an interactive gallery that recounts the
history of evangelism and honors the lives of prominent alumni. Seen here are
some of the relics collected over time, and, above, a skylight fills the space
with dramatic daylight. |
Client: Bob Jones Jr. Memorial Seminary
Location: Greenville, SC
Scope: 16,000 sf
Completion Date: 2000
Cost: Withheld
Another image of the gallery inside the rotunda. Here we see some of the displays
on the second level of the space. Observers can walk around the historic relics
displayed in the center of the two-story volume while being educated on the history
of evangelism at Bob Jones University through interactive displays along the perimeter
walls. |
Client: Bob Jones Jr. Memorial Seminary
Location: Greenville, SC
Scope: 16,000 sf
Completion Date: 2000
Cost: Withheld
While quite small in size, the complexity of the rotunda interior proved a challenge
for the client to visualize during design. Seen here is one of many three dimensional
studies where the exterior skin of the building was “peeled” away to reveal how
the space would look and feel. |
|
