Building Sites Planning Assumption

The integrity of architectural style on campus will be protected by 1) use of compatible materials, 2) retention of human scale in building mass, and 3) careful attention to siting, respecting the axis and courtyard principles that are distinctive of Wake Forest. Future buildings on the central area of campus should be designed with adherence to Modified Georgian architecture.

New facilities planned for areas outside of the central campus area should retain similar architectural characteristics, but may allow for more latitude in the design approach. These facilities will be sited to provide logical relations between the central campus area and among neighboring facilities. The surrounding landscape should provide green areas and courtyards where feasible, as well as natural connections to central campus.

The Reynolda Campus contains about 320 acres, with the central campus occupying only about 100 acres. This core is the best area for building; the remainder, because of topography, remoteness or importance as a buffer against encroaching urbanization, is less usable. Although there is a general perception of a spacious campus, potential sites for building are limited and must be designated with great care. Selection of building sites must consider long range needs, relationships to other buildings, and consideration of axes, courtyards and vistas, which historically have defined the overall campus plan.While several building projects have been completed since the 1991 revision, most were not located on the sites discussed in the revision. The following buildings or additions have been completed since 1991:

• Polo Residence Hall - This large residential facility, located adjacent to North Residence Hall, was completed in 1998. The facility is constructed along the Wait Chapel north-south axes

• The Divinity School - Completed in 1999, this two-story facility (shown at right) is an addition on the north face of Wingate Hall. The Divinity School is centered on a two-story rotunda area. The facility adds a renewed look to Wingate Hall and makes a strong statement for the northern facade of the building and provides a signature entrance to the Divinity School.

• William B. Greene, Jr. Hall - This 5-story academic building was completed in 1999 and is located between Calloway Hall and Carswell Hall. The facility was designed in keeping with the Modified Georgian style and offers a beautiful open atrium within the core area of the building.

• The Information Systems Building (IS Building) - This 2-story facility is located on the north side of the Worrell Professional Center. The landscape surrounding these two facilities offers significant opportunities to complete green areas and natural connection to the central area of campus. The committee feels that these facilities currently lack the proper connection to campus and to one another.

Proposal
While current needs for additional academic and residential space are not clearly defined, the committee has identified several building sites for future use and has confirmed some previously recommended sites. The committee has identified sites that extend the logic of the original campus plan and its successful additions, without seeking to identify the specific activity on each site. The committee has sought to adhere to 1) the building and courtyard system, and 2) the interlocking system of axes that underlies the best campus development.The new recommendations are based on the principle of filling in vacant spaces between existing buildings and completing the inner campus core, especially for undergraduate academic and residential uses. Historically, successful campus plans have maintained a sense of order and intimacy in building-to-building and building-to-courtyard relationships. Proposals to spin buildings outward from the central core without reference to existing axes and scale relationships should be avoided.In siting new facilities, the committee feels strongly that every effort should be made to maintain a natural environment of courtyards and connecting green spaces between buildings. Quiet, meditative spaces should be incorporated whenever possible to instill a feeling of acknowledgement and belonging for the campus residents. Sites located on the outward areas of campus should be selected and developed in such a way as to provide a natural connection to the central area of campus and avoid any feeling of seclusion.The following sites are recommended for consideration:

• An academic building on the site in the southwest quadrant that mirrors Olin would complete an academic courtyard. The relationships between the buildings, the courtyard, and the corner entrances would provide an opportunity for significant and interesting spatial treatments.
• A building on the axis of the Magnolia Court, centered on the main campus north-south axis, and on the east-west line of the present Gulley Drive.
• A site in the southeast quadrant facing, and relating to, the axis created by Worrell Professional Center, the attention given to the conceptual extension of the east-west academic axis. If this site is developed, care must be taken to eliminate or reduce loss of wooded space provided in the current cross-country area. This site proposal explores the implications of the siting of the Professional Center in relation to the site facing it, which has potent symbolic and physical possibilities for development. A building or a group of buildings could be projected onto this site and related back to the central campus. The building or buildings ultimately sited in this area should recognize the underlying existence of campus axes without slavishly repeating the style of the main campus buildings. The unfortunate placement of Palmer-Piccolo in an off center location would have to be resolved, and a plan for masking the irregular siting of anthropology would be needed.
• A site west of Worrell Professional Center in the current parking lot. The Cesar Pelli firm sited the Professional Center so that two buildings of approximately equal size could be placed between Worrell and the campus center. In the long term, Poteat Field should be left open, while the site adjacent to Worrell should be considered as available for development and possible "re-greening."
• As was the case in the 1991 revision, undergraduate enrollment is at or near its maximum for the near future. If this situation should change or other factors occur to affect current undergraduate housing, future residence hall space would be required. When additional housing needs develop, a site on the northern section of Allen Easley Drive between the present Faculty Apartment building #10 and the Student Apartments should be considered. Sites on the east side of Allen Easley Drive should be held open in the near future, pending study of the long-term use of the area.

The area currently known as Lot Q (adjacent to Scales Fine Arts Center, North of Wake Forest Road) has been identified as a potential site for one or more parking structures. The natural topography of this area is well suited for a multi-level parking facility. The committee proposes a parking facility that is fronted by a multistory building along Wake Forest Road. Such a structure would serve to hide the parking structure from the road while still offering access from Allen Easley Drive. A schematic approach has been identified that would form a "crescent" shaped structure along Wake Forest Road. This facility would be constructed along the northern axes through Wait Chapel and would offer opportunities to develop a natural link to the Polo Hall area. This structure must be designed of adequate size to compliment Wait Chapel and Scales Fine Arts Center. This structure would also offer an opportunity to better develop a northern entrance to Scales Fine Arts Center.

A site to the east of Calloway hall has been identified as an acceptable alternative for a major addition to Calloway Hall. This facility would likely be similar in stature to the existing Calloway Hall. Adoption of this site would open opportunities to develop a much-needed green space to the east of Reynolda Hall in the current parking lot.

Sites that should be reserved for future decision-makers were explicitly identified.

• The area between Parking Lot Q and Polo Road. This open area on the main axis of the campus is extensive enough so that a complete future unit of the University could be located within it with adequate interior and exterior open spaces. Whatever is placed in this area should be related to the most important future mission of the University. There is no programmatic initiative currently in view that would warrant development of this area. Therefore, the committee recommends that this area be reserved for future consideration.
• An area singled out for its natural and symbolic possibilities is the link area between the western edge of Davis Field and the Lake Katharine Bridge. If the Wake Forest campus were to have a significant "outlet," both the natural terrain of this site and its function as a historic connection to the Reynolda property would make it a logical choice. The present parking lots that block this connection would need to be relocated. By forming a pedestrian interchange at the reopened space, the pathway through the woods to the Lake Katharine bridge would be improved, and a connection made to the picnic and recreation area north of the stream and lower pool could be reestablished.

Future building sites should be developed carefully to ensure that the campus environment maintains its beauty and appeal. When developing building designs, it is imperative that equal efforts are made in designing the natural setting for the new facility. Particular attention should be paid to the spatial connections between neighboring facilities and the future use of the general area.