The recently completed renovation of the Student Conference Center at Kingsborough Community College breathes new life into a high-demand, multi-purpose 14,000 s.f. space on their Brooklyn waterfront campus. The public assembly space hosts small and large scale events of up to 300 people. The renovation included sophisticated acoustic, lighting and AV support infrastructure to accommodate events as varied as conferences, lectures, film viewing, student testing, and blood drives.
A new, motorized folding acoustic wall was installed to subdivide the space. When separated, each room is fully independent, supported by state of the art technology to meet the various needs of the student body. New glazed doors and storefront sidelights with fritted glass were installed to provide a stronger visual connections to the adjoining terrace and to provide egress routes from each space.
The design enhanced the existing 1970’s shell by building on its strengths. Tinted glazing was replaced by solar-protected glazing to increase the amount of natural daylight entering the room. The elevated sections of the ceiling were coated with a smooth plaster finish to soften the light entering through triangular clerestory windows. The palette of natural materials, including light maple ceiling and grey linoleum flooring, creates a warm, fresh and welcoming atmosphere for the room.