SAI worked with Western University to undertak e this $17M renovation of the historically significant Stevenson Lawson Building (SLB) to cr eate a modern, exciting, and engaging space for students and faculty.
SLB was the culmination of a series of renovations of the original Lawson Library Building (1933) and the Stevenson Building (1954), both built in the Collegiate Gothic style with a Modernist link between the two, built in 1972. The facility required significant reorganization and changes to the exterior to improve the functionality and usability of the building for students and faculty alike.
SAI’s design opened up the long, corridor that ran the length of the building, making it the focus of the new facility with a variety of dedicated common spaces for students to gather or study, access to glazed meeting spaces, and modern new classrooms. Along the hallway, the design utilized pin boards and displays for each faculty to create engaging spaces and improve the flow of people through the building. As part of the renovations to the building, the original elegant entrance to the Lawson Building was reinstated. As SLB had to remain in operation throughout the renovation, SAI developed a phased approach to construction focused specially on the critical central computer operations.
The completed LEED registered facility houses the academic departments of Philosophy, Classical Studies, Women’s Studies and Feminist Research and History, as w ell as spaces and offices for the University Secretariat, VP offices, and the Campus Police and Presidential Suites.
