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Kallay-Christopher Hall
With the proliferation of new technology, the fields of communication, geography and meteorology are overflowing with job opportunities, and the popularity of these programs at colleges and universities continues to soar. At Valparaiso University (Valpo), in 2001, the departments of communication and geography and meteorology were positioned to take advantage of this explosion in interest. The Department of Communications offers majors and minors in five programs while the Department of Geography and Meteorology offers majors and minors in both programs as well as minors in related fields. While many Valpo graduates in these areas begin employment soon after graduation, others are routinely offered teaching assistantships from many of the graduate programs to which they apply. Few undergraduate meteorology programs in the country enjoy the acclaim and recognition Valparaiso students receive. However, the home for the Department of Geography and Meteorology did not reflect its growth and success. The department resided in a basement location, far from the communications department with which there is a natural link in weather forecasting for radio and television. The situation was rapidly reaching a point where recruitment would suffer and student education would become outdated because of inadequate technology. In 2002, Valpo outlined goals for an approximately 17,000-square-foot, two-story addition to the north of an existing Valparaiso University building, Schnabel Hall, which houses the Department of Communication. The new location would “provide visibility and space and facilitate interaction with the department of communication”, said Jon Kilpinen, chair of the Department of Geography and Meteorology at the University. Kilpinen added that close proximity offers “tremendous possibilities for interdepartmental synergy to meet the [needs of the] ever-changing global workplace.” PLANNING “The new facility should have its own identity.” This and many other objectives were discussed during a two-month programming process. As an addition, challenges arose that would not ordinarily be important to the design of a freestanding building. The new building needed to respect the architectural vocabulary of Schnabel Hall while simultaneously informing the observer of its special function. The addition would share building services with the existing facility and the university requested that the new building appear to have been planned simultaneously with the original structure. A location north of Schnabel Hall and a design that included a connection to the existing building allowed an intuitive central circulation path, and provided meteorology students with optimal views to the northern sky. The addition was linked to the previous building with a glass corridor, affording minimal disruption to the existing facility while offering views of landscaped courtyards. Incorporating exterior elements common with Schnabel Hall, such as matching brick, masonry detailing, fascia profile, and fenestration patterns, contributed to a visual fit. Two-stories tall, the Kallay-Christopher Hall addition emphasizes its weather-watching function with a bold angled-bottom window-wall element allowing unobstructed views, a roof deck to observe the sky and engage in meteorological experiments, and equipment for weather balloon launching that provides additional hands-on learning opportunities. A premium was placed on outdoor accessibility to allow viewing and experimentation for meteorology students. Other important project features, some of them shared for classes in geography and meteorology, include: two lab classrooms, a larger tiered classroom, a spacious weather center facility, and space for student socialization and collaboration. COMPONENTS Because students in the GeoMet program spend much of the day in the department, a central lounge was crucial. This social hub was created at the main circulation crossroads between Schnabel and Kallay-Christopher Halls. Appointed with tables, comfortable chairs and couches, the lounge provided a large space for students to meet, study and relax, an important function because it offered a viable alternative to meteorology students’ “camping” in the new Weather Center, which was intended to be a professional space rather than a place of social activity. Larger introductory courses needed a well-designed presentation facility and a tiered multimedia classroom was designed to accommodate up to 65 students. The tiered classroom provides approximately 10 feet in front of the first row of desks for multimedia presentations. A moveable panel whiteboard was incorporated for analog lectures and presentations, while a large ceiling-mounted motorized projection screen works in concert with a ceiling-mounted computer projection system. Used for hosting guest speakers and lecturers, this room required flexible presentation systems in the form of video and DVD equipment linked into the projection system. Also requested was zoned lighting easily controlled at the front and rear of the classroom, complementing presentation functionality along with wireless Internet availability throughout. Two lab classrooms accommodating up to 30 students were designed to supplement the larger classroom. In labs, students perform a variety of hands-on tasks, applying the principles and concepts from lecture to actual applications in meteorology and physical geography. Typically, there are 20 to 30 students in each lab, providing the opportunity for questions and regular student-instructor interaction—key virtues of the Valparaiso University experience. Presentation equipment in each lab consists of integrated computer and audio/video systems with a mixture of traditional and advanced AV capabilities. An instructor’s computer at the front of the room connects to a ceiling-mounted projector. At all times, the computer connects wirelessly to the Internet and the university network. A feature of the classrooms are historic oak map file cabinets which were restored and paired with lockable cabinets to provide space for lab materials for geography students. A general classroom for 30 students on the ground floor accommodates courses with lighter multimedia needs and gives the university’s Registrar an additional campus classroom for general use. Individual chairs with attached tablets allow for flexible configuration of the room. Private offices for faculty and staff provide campus views from the second floor, while an office on the first floor adjacent to the student lounge houses the department’s administrative personnel. A conference room for 12 is just around the corner from the administrative office. The Weather Center is the main atmospheric data collection, analysis, forecasting, and research facility for meteorology students, and it is critical for the meteorology program. Divided into areas of functionality, the center is the most heavily used area in the building. The space is open, and windowed around its full perimeter, with 20 computer workstations lining the walls. In the center of the room, a map cabinet under a worktable allows for storage and display. A ceiling-mounted projector and SMART Board™ interactive whiteboard aid teaching displays. Located in an adjacent space are three large project tables for group work with some privacy and separation from the computer area. The entire university community relies on forecasts and weather bulletins from the Weather Center during the thunderstorm and lake effect snow seasons. Likewise, local schools rely on the center and its student staff to provide snow advisories for school closings in the winter. A main open stairway wrapping the elevator is located in the northeast corner of the building. Horizontal bands of windows and vibrant color accentuate the vertical circulation. Precast concrete encases the stair exterior and cues the visitor to the special function inside. The building interior is accented in rich colors and natural woods to create warm lively spaces. Inspired by the earth and sky focus of the geography and meteorology program, the main lobby and lounge feature an expansive, circular, celestial cobalt blue ceiling element while a curvilinear wall serves as its backdrop, suggesting the rolling texture of land and sea. CONCLUSION The construction of Kallay-Christopher Hall adjacent to Schnabel Hall was completed in the fall of 2004 as a striking addition to the Valparaiso University campus. The GeoMet Department continues to enhance the technologies of its new home with the addition of a Doppler Radar System that will be on-line in 2007. The department also is taking advantage of its new proximity to and synergy with the Department of Communication to work towards creating a 24-hour campus weather channel. Project Description:
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