What can design do to seamlessly blend the traditional and the modern? Grinnell College’s Humanities and Social Studies Center features four pavilions – two new and two renovated – joined by a three-story atrium with connecting bridges. The new structure embraces Alumni Recitation Hall, creating a central, light-filled courtyard that looks toward the future of liberal arts education while respecting the heritage of one of Grinnell’s most treasured landmarks.

Gone are the days of teachers lecturing and students listening. The HSCC embraces the possibilities of a 21st-century learning experience. Students and professors begin by walking together along the atrium bridge, enjoying the morning light from the clerestory windows. Class convenes in the historic Alumni Recitation Hall, now fully integrated with modern technology.

Students will soon head to the learning laboratories for small-group breakouts where they’ll use online tools to work with peers at other institutions. Between classes, they’ll meet up and head to semi-private breakout spaces for project work – fostering the intellectual collisions that enrich a student’s education.

A mix of the old and new, the HSSC makes possible a teaching and learning experience attuned to emerging research, technology, and collaboration, while honoring Grinnell’s tradition of excellence in education.