VSBA was asked to suggest ways of improving and enlivening the student-centered spaces on the first level of Bryn Mawr College’s Campus Center. The College wished to make the spaces more student and visitor-friendly and more emblematic of Bryn Mawr spirit. VSBA redesigned the Café and Main Lounge, converted an adjacent meeting room to a student rec room, and created more visible connections between spaces. Throughout, traditional symbols of Bryn Mawr’s past and present express the College’s identity and spirit. The Main Lounge and Balcony include:
- permanent “banners” adapted and pixilated from early 20th-century College calendars, depicting scenes from Mawr’s enduring traditions — including the Lantern Walk, May Day, and graduation
- a painted mural of quotes from distinguished alumnae — Katharine Hepburn, Marianne Moore, Ana Maria Lopez — in large, colorful letters over a field of oversized daisies (another Bryn Mawr symbol)
- a humorous, colorful 1909 map of the campus over the fireplace
In the reorganized Café, new menu boards and café identity signs are set against a backdrop of College symbols and memorabilia:
- a mural of an owl, Bryn Mawr’s mascot, overlooks the Café
- a neon sign identifying the Café adds to the character of the room (especially at night) and is visible from across the campus green; a neon lantern — emblematic of the annual “Lantern Night Walk” — is visible from the entrance to the Café and from the parking lot
- memorabilia — including reproductions of College production playbills, sheet music of traditional songs, and historic and contemporary photographs — hangs on the walls.
The campus “rec room” — formerly a meeting room — will be hung with rotating exhibits of student-created, student-selected artwork. Main circulation spaces include large bulletin boards for student postings and e-mail stations. A new information desk and informational plasma screen were also installed.