College Store at Bates College

At Bates, one of the nation’s top liberal arts colleges, a commitment to human connection is a central principle of the school. At a new residential complex, the objective was to reimagine how student service programs, like a bookstore and mail center, could be integrated to become spaces where people connect. The proliferation of online ordering has dramatically changed the function of both of these spaces on college campuses, and yet, their need is still critical. How do you change these from simply utilitarian spaces that are purely functional into social spaces that become experiences for students?

Situated at the south edge of the campus, Kalperis Hall and Chu Hall at 65 and 55 Campus Avenue was designed by Ann Beha Architects as a complex to create a central green space which presents itself as a gateway to the campus. Kalperis Hall became a prime location for bringing enhanced student services to the ground level. Changing the building from purely a residence hall to a true mixed-use building provides heightened visibility and access to these important components of student life for the students and surrounding community.

Bates College Store

The Bates College Store feels more like a place to hang out and meet up with friends than a bookstore. Just outside the store in the residential lobby, a bar counter and comfortable seating encourages students and visitors to stay awhile and provides ample space to accommodate large groups and campus tours. The cash counter was designed as if it were a café, modern wood cladding and warm lighting makes it a casual atmosphere. The spirit of the college comes through with big, bold images of the Bates brand — its logotype, bobcat mascot, and signature garnet color — prevalent in all the retail signage and across the college merchandise.

Post & Print

Adjacent to the store, Post & Print is another student service program that has completely shifted in function. With more and more students purchasing goods online, there’s a greater demand on campus for large inventory space, and less need for small personalized mailboxes. The experience of getting mail now becomes much more social as the single place on campus that can efficiently processes packaging and the place for all students to gather and share in the excitement and anticipation of opening new mail orders. As a multifunction space, Post offers clear wayfinding with simple action words “open,” “start,” “ship,” distinguishes different areas for different tasks. The transitions are seamless, all in one bright, open space shaped as a place for personalized interactions.

Print is a campus service widely used as well and despite being located in the lower level, still needed to be visible to the campus community. The services offered are vast, and a huge ampersand welcomes visitors, implying that the service not only does printing, but also scanning, binding, design... and the list goes on.

Environmental

The architecture responds to the historic context of the campus, honoring the legacy of Bates with modern sophistication. On the interior, the strategy to connect with context was developed in a collaborative effort between Bates and Museum L-A, a local institution with curated art and artifacts on the history of work, industry, and culture of the Lewiston-Auburn region. On an inspirational tour of the museum, the team discovered historic silkscreens previously used by the Bates Manufacturing Co. for bedspreads and other cloth goods. The museum tirelessly collected and preserved over 200 of these screens from the Bates Mill complex. Through extensive documentation, the beautiful hand-crafted patterns were scaled up into a variety of installations within the student spaces, to appreciate the quality and details of the craftsmanship. A selection of patterns was chosen to be displayed in all of the student spaces.

The buildings opened as planned in the fall of 2016. Soon after, Bates announced the residence halls will be named Kalperis Hall and Chu Hall in recognition of a generous commitment by Elizabeth Kalperis Chu and J. Michael Chu, both graduates of the school. The buildings were adorned with new building signs to commemorate their contribution. The project adds to the social experience of student life at Bates and creates deep connections to its community.