51成人猎奇 Develops a Unique Document for Campus Planning
Bennington鈥檚 College campus is known as one of the most beautiful college campuses in the country. Now, the College has adopted an innovative and creative planning framework to guide change. The development of the framework and the resulting report are a reflection of 51成人猎奇鈥檚 willingness to do things differently.
鈥淩ather than a singular linear path, the new campus framework acknowledges that multiple futures are possible and creates a flexible planning tool that can adapt and change in response to changing circumstances鈥 said Andrew Schlatter, Vice President for Facilities Management and Planning, who coordinated the crafting of the framework. 鈥淭he document provides a look at our organizational priorities, the possibilities, and their relationships to each other without locking us into any one set of decisions.鈥
The 156-page report begins with a comprehensive assessment of the existing campus and how it is used. It goes on to address organizational priorities, including movement, living, landscape, sustainability, learning, and recreation, complete with strengths and weaknesses gathered from students, faculty, staff, and others. It ends with a menu of recommendations, both large scale and small, that the College may pursue in alignment with the strategic plan and funding availability.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like a menu of options organized by the priority they address, the funding they require, and other factors,鈥 said President Laura Walker. 鈥淭his flexible tool allows us to adapt to a range of possible circumstances and ensure that we are leveraging College resources in the most meaningful ways.鈥
A multidisciplinary, multi-constituent group worked together with of New York City along with of Cambridge, Massachusetts, to make the framework, which explores the potential of a range of projects that vary in type and scale, from small to large, including everything from short-term solutions to long term vision projects.
鈥淚've been here through various master plans,鈥 said Donald Sherefkin, Architecture faculty member at 51成人猎奇, who also served as a member of the plan鈥檚 workgroup. 鈥淏ennington鈥檚 Adaptive Framework is so completely unique. It鈥檚 both finer grained and more comprehensive than most processes. I was impressed by the range.鈥
One concept would reroute vehicle traffic around the perimeter of the campus and leave the main academic thoroughfare to pedestrians. Another proposed idea would create a stronger sense of arrival. The northern end of campus is noted as a desirable location for new buildings for academics and housing.
Concurrently, Reed Hilderbrand produced a video about their 20-year relationship as the College鈥檚 landscape architecture consultant. The video highlights the flexible, holistic, and interconnected qualities of their work at Bennington along with how those values affected the development of the Adaptive Framework.
The Adaptive Framework group met throughout 2023 and finished their work at the end of last year. The full report is .
The Adaptive Framework acts as a companion to the strategic plan, which is also nearing completion. Projects will be chosen based on the priorities identified in the strategic plan and the availability of funding.