Standing aglow on the University of Delaware’s STAR campus, the Tower at STAR, developed by Delle Donne & Associates and designed by Bernardon, is a new 10-story building for the College of Health Sciences. USA Today recently published a gallery of one “impressive university or college building” in each state in the U.S., and the Tower at STAR represented Delaware.
The Lighting Practice, as part of the design team led by Bernardon, developed a lighting concept for the Tower at STAR’s façade as well as the lighting system for the building’s entry canopies, landscape features and the atrium that connects the tower to an existing building. In addition, Michael Barber, Matthew Fracassini and David Seok designed the lighting for the multipurpose “Audion,” a space dedicated to collaboration between College of Health Sciences students and members of the community and private industries. The Audion touts a flexible, open floor plan with cutting-edge audiovisual resources and an adjacent full-featured demo kitchen. The space is perfect for hosting lectures, presentations, receptions and other events at the Tower. The Lighting Practice provided layers of lighting within the Audion and Demo Kitchen: linear lighting for general illumination, recessed downlights for presentations, and color-changing cove lighting integrated into the wood walls. Two 16-foot-wide LED displays and built-in robotic cameras offer endless presentation opportunities.
The Lighting Practice also worked with EcoWalls, a full-service living wall firm, to develop the lighting system for the Nash M. Childs Living Wall, a 1,000-SF green wall and planter inside the Tower at STAR. With attention to the spectral distribution requirements for the different plants, the team created a lighting system that provides beauty in the space while encouraging the plants to thrive. The University of Delaware featured the wall on its website, calling it an “exciting, stimulating and inspiring backdrop” that “brings the outdoors in, offering inspiration, relaxation and renewal – along with improved air quality – for students, faculty, staff and community partners needing to catch their breath in this one-of-a-kind space.”
51 amazing university and college buildings across the USA
USA Today | March 2019
From Gothic-inspired relics to shiny modern-day buildings, there are many iconic structures on campuses across the nation that are worthy of adding to your next road trip. Click through this gallery for a glimpse of one impressive campus building in every state.
