West Point, the nation's oldest service academy, has a new library and learning center on the United States Military Academy's fabled Hudson Valley campus, a national historic site. The $62 million, 141,000 s/f building, Jefferson Hall-USMA Library and Learning Center, was planned and designed by STV in collaboration with Holzman Moss Architecture for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Building on its more than 200 year tradition of excellence in education and military training, West Point's leaders recognized a decade ago that a new library facility in the form of an interactive learning center was necessary to meet the growing educational needs of its over 4,400 cadets plus faculty.
"We sited the new building at the southeast corner of the historic West Point Plain to give it due prominence as a facility dedicated to nurturing intellect; it is the first new academic building in the central area since 1972," said Price Jepsen, AIA, STV project manager, who was responsible for selecting the building site, strategic planning, and programming. "Its program reflects a changing learning environment, from a repository of books to a place where new, interactive instructional methods can be developed and the value of lifelong education expressed."
"Because the Plain is a significant part of this National Historic Landmark District, any building erected on it automatically qualifies for a 'statement of adverse effect' from the New York State Historic Preservation Office," said Malcolm Holzman, FAIA, of Holzman Moss Architecture, who was responsible for the building's design. "Designing a facility that reflects the spirit and values of the 21st century Army and still honors the academy's architectural virtues was imperative."
Divided into three masses with step-backs echoing the form of surrounding structures, the six-story granite and glass building advances West Point's, 19th-century Military Gothic style into the 21st century. 1,586 tons of granite clad the entire building. Hand-tooled stone block mined from the same quarry as adjacent structures clad the two end towers, and design details such as sandstone window surround, a three-dimensional West Point arch at the main entry, and double-height windows echo similar features found in neighboring buildings designed by Bertram Goodhue, Ralph Adam Cram, and Paul Cret.
The building has achieved a bronze rating under the Army's SPiRiT program - the equivalent of a LEED certified, green-design rating. Tags: