Dunham has been the preferred engineer at St. John’s University for a few years, and our team has already has made a significant imprint on the campus’s landmark structures.
Alcuin Library Renovation + Learning Commons Addition
The Alcuin Library designed by the renowned architect Marcel Breuer completed a $7.5M addition and renovation project that features many unique design challenges. These include providing the infrastructure necessary to accommodate the requirements of complex spaces such as a Rare Resource Library and Bible Gallery. The Alcuin Library sits at the center of campus, serving an essential role in the community and widely considered to be the “living room of the campus.” The library is an invaluable asset to the students, alumni, community members, and thousands across the country via an interlibrary loan program.
The Learning Commons Addition offers a new destination for students to engage in a variety of learning tasks. With spaces for collaboration as well as quiet reading rooms, the Commons has a range of options for every learning preference and need. The design includes classrooms, group study spaces, offices, a coffee shop, an outdoor terrace, tech support space, and a media broadcast studio complete with state-of-the-art technology.
Abbey Woodworking: The Work of Our Hands
St. John’s University added a new 35,000 SF Woodworking building to its campus. Nicknamed the Work of Our Hands, the facility centralized woodworking operations and provides a new home for the Pasi organ-building program. The unique workshop allows the University to add instruction space, increase efficiency and production, provide a safe work environment, and renew its commitment to this monastic labor.
The three-level facility provides woodworking, casting hammering, a paint booth, a kiln, electrical storage, a loading area, an organ assembly gallery, an organ studio, and a library area. Other spaces include breakrooms, meeting spaces, artisan rooms, a balcony clean workroom, a tool room, and a ferrous metals room. With the added space, the University will provide unique learning opportunities for students, craftsmen, and the entire Saint John’s community now and into the future.
Abbey Church Preservation
As perhaps the most iconic structure on the campus, the Abbey Church has undergone a restoration and preservation project. Built in 1961, the Abbey Church was also designed by Marcel Breuer. Great efforts are being taken to provide Alcuin Library and the Abbey Church with updated lighting and improved efficiency while preserving the integrity of the original spaces. These important and historic structures sit at the center of the campus and are considered invaluable assets to the students, alumni, and community members.
Peter Engel Science Hall Remodel
Dunham recently completed a multi-phase renovation of Peter J. Engel Science Hall to expand physics, biology, and environmental studies. The project updated every floor, including faculty research modifications, updates to the reception area, added storage, and improvements to the natural history museum.
