Lebanon Valley College undertook a strategic renovation of a high profile location on campus to create lively student collaboration and support spaces. The existing lower level of the Mund College Center was an unappealing and underutilized windowless space. It now houses a Learning Commons, the study-abroad and career suites, commuter student lounges and a multipurpose room. Large murals create vitality and other finishes and colors imbue warmth and comfort to the spaces. Glass partitions maintain acoustical privacy where needed while lending transparency and visual openness to the design. Multiple "Collaboration Pods” have flexible lounge seating and interactive flat-screen televisions. The lighting design, critical to the success of the project, enhances the interiors with LED fixtures that emulate natural daylight. A new glass-enclosed, exterior stair tower was also added to connect the lower floor with the main entrance. The project delivered a dynamic and innovative new resource area on a modest budget with an aggressive schedule. The project serves as a model for future facilities projects that will positively impact the on-campus experience for current students and enhance the institutional image.
