WRITERS HOUSE, FRANKLIN & MARSHALL COLLEGE, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

This project included the construction of a new two-story structure of structure of approximately 3,500 square feet dedicated to the Writing Arts for Franklin and Marshall College. The Writers House was created to serve both Franklin and Marshall College and the larger community as a haven for writers, a place for seminars, workshops and as a site host visiting authors. The director of the Writer's House views the house "as a combination of literary arts performance center and a writing collective space". The main public spaces in the building include a Lobby, Reading room, Dining Room and several Seminar Rooms. The principal organizational idea behind siting and design of the house was to define a shared outdoor entrance courtyard with the adjacent Admissions House, located directly across the street from and relating to the College's Arts Quad. The two main gathering or ceremonial spaces, The Reading Room and the Dining Room open to the courtyard, allowing circular flow through the courtyard and House during larger gatherings. The Reading Room was designed to be a large, comfortable "living room like" space for readings and gatherings.