Doyle Hall / Specht Harpman

Architects: Specht Harpman
Location: Austin, Texas, USA
Project Team: Scott Specht, Louise Harpman, Sarah Gamble, Erica Quinones, Brett Wolfe
MEP Engineering: Energy Engineering Associates
Structural Engineering: Architectural Engineers Collaborative
Civil Engineering: Urban Design Group
Landscape Architecture: Sasaki Associates, Inc. in association with RVI Inc.
Contractor: VRW Construction Company
Project Area: 33,250 sq ft
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Taggart Sorensen

The Doyle Hall renovation and the New Classroom Addition create a campus courtyard, which is activated by the presence of a centuries-old live oak tree, a new cafe, and a year-round mix of student and faculty spaces.

The New Classroom Addition takes cues from the existing 1950′s building with its exposed concrete structural bays and straightforward infill panels. The New Classroom Addition creates a physical and visual link between the two existing buildings and brings students into the heart of the courtyard, “embraced” by the two parallel wings of faculty offices. The architectural strategy was to restructure the space by deploying a “stealth architecture” that does not call attention to itself, but works as a fabric binding the existing elements together and allowing them to be seen and used in a completely new way.

The architectural solution thoughtfully mixes old with new, enhances the existing buildings, and engages the landscape, while providing a place of learning, study and fellowship to all students and faculty.