THE ATTIC

gettysburg, pennsylvania

This project is the result of the hard work of students at Gettysburg College who wanted a student activity space that was conceived, developed, and operated by students for students.

The Attic, the first space on campus dedicated only to student programmed events, accommodates 400 students and provides a social venue for student parties and special events. The students were responsible for acquiring funding from the College's Board of Trustees, developing the program, selecting an architect, and acting as the client during the project's development and execution as well as selecting a name for their space.

Located on the College's campus in a mid-twentieth century industrial building that was formerly a manufacturing facility, this project is conceived as the first phase of the building's eventual reuse with the remainder to be developed later into more student activity and art studio spaces. The Attic is comprised of a series of internal and external spaces that are visually linked to each other. As the walkway from the campus approaches the building, it engages the Attic's exterior upper balcony until reaching the exterior stair tower. The Attic's main space on the second floor is accessed by this stair tower which acts as a lantern to the campus and informs the student population that The Attic is in use.

A series of illuminated perforated corrugated elements (stage wall and bar) link the interior space to the exterior stair. The Attic's interior opens to the balcony through two laminated glass garage doors allowing views back to the campus. The Attic can accommodate a variety of events with a state of the art sound system and video projection capabilities.

A palette of industrial and recycled materials, such as fire-rated particle board, perforated metals, "Tectum" acoustic panels, quilted acoustic treatments, and cork and recycled rubber flooring, have been chosen for their durability and visual coherence.The Attic complements the existing building's materials and structure with this common industrial material palette and unique detailing which produces a beautiful, well-crafted space that is well-suited for its new use.