DESIGNWORKS 2020

Wake Forest Dept of Mathematics + Statistics

Winston Salem, NC

Stitch Design Shop

Located in Manchester Hall on Wake Forest’s Reynolda Campus, this interior renovation provides upgraded teaching, learning and office space for the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. An underutilized classroom closed in by a cluster of small faculty offices was converted into a centrally located Math Center, faculty office suites two floors above were demolished and reorganized, and each classroom received new finishes, furniture and interactive A/V equipment. The Math Center functions as the “front door” to the department, serving as a tutoring, study and meeting place for Undergraduate and Graduate students. Two floor-to-ceiling millwork installations anchor the space, adding playful color to the natural light that filters through from large exterior windows revealed during demolition. Each cluster of shelves within the millwork correspond with the Golden Ratio, hinting at the relationship between mathematics, nature and aesthetics. Two stories above, a dedicated space for Graduate students to commune and study was included, with faculty offices wrapping the exterior walls. Continuous frameless glass transoms above each interior partition maximize natural light penetration into the corridors and graduate lounge, adding levity to what was once a dark, closed-off suite.