Most of ROBERTSON HALL, the home of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, will be closed until fall 2020 with the start of a major renovation of the campus landmark in February.
The building’s exterior, the Lewis Auditorium, the atrium, and the lower-level classroom “bowls” will be largely unchanged. But a major redesign that encourages collaboration is planned for the offices, work areas, and gathering spaces for administrators, faculty, and staff on the first, second, third, and fourth levels. Student carrels will also be updated.
The new design “respects the building’s unique architectural heritage while meeting the 21st-century needs” of the school, Dean Cecilia Rouse said. The architect is KPMB, the Toronto-based firm that conceived the transformation of the former Frick Chemistry Lab into the Julis Romo Rabinowitz and Louis A. Simpson International buildings.
Robertson Hall was designed by architect Minoru Yamasaki and dedicated by President Lyndon Johnson in 1966. Most of its occupants have been relocated to Green Hall during the work.