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Champlain College
Perry Hall

A vacant house in a National Register Historic District is transformed into an admissions center at the heart of Champlain College. The design celebrates the 150-year-old building’s heritage while prioritizing environmental and social stewardship.

  • Location

    • Burlington, VT

    Size

    • 18,000 GSF addition
    • 10,000 GSF renovation

    Program

    • Welcome center, admissions offices, career counseling, meeting spaces, library, public green space

    Practice area

    Certifications

    • LEED Platinum Certified
    • BLUE Certified (watershed friendly)

    Awards

    • AIA VT, Merit Award
    • AIA VT, Public Spaces Award
    • American School and University Outstanding Design for Renovation/Modernization Award
    • Burlington Business Association, Architectural Excellence Award
    • Illuminating Engineering Society New England, Outstanding Achievement

A treasured asset for campus and community

Building upon Goody Clancy’s master plan for the college, Perry Hall itself is the new public face of Champlain and its three-acre site connects academic and residential campus precincts.

Community engagement was integral to the design process. Through two years of public meetings and design reviews, Perry Hall achieved widespread support and enthusiasm. Today, Perry Lawn is shared by the neighborhood, and the south wing of the hall is a popular event space, designed to be used by the community independent of the rest of the building.

A new main entry creates a strong and welcoming first impression to new and prospective students
The addition was broken into two wings to maximize views of Lake Champlain, and a new circulation spine weaves the three volumes together.
Even as we embrace the future, we honor and cherish the past. This building is a bridge between two worlds. Headshot of Jean Carroon with blue background
Jean Carroon Principal
The house is a contributing structure to its National Register Historic District. Maintaining its residential character was a primary objective.
The renovation reused 86% of the existing building’s materials, including woodwork, hardware, floors, foundations, and exterior and interior walls.
The interior and exterior of Perry Hall was restored to preserve its Italianate architectural details.
Planted as a native meadow, Perry Lawn recharges three acres of rainwater on site. A new wetland/bioretention area treats an additional 2.25 acres.

Designed to encourage views out, not in

The addition is broken into two wings which flank the historic house. This massing maintains views to Lake Champlain and prioritizes solar orientation and daylight. The courtyard between the wings is designed to accept a small tent for functions. Each area of the building has a unique connection to nature. Three porches provide exterior places of delight from which to enjoy the varied landscape.

The presentation room offers grand views of the lake. This wing is designed to be used by the community, independent of the rest of the building.
The design of the addition is inspired by the many additive porches found in the neighborhood.
The new entrance is lined with windows, local stone, and wood.
72% of spaces in Perry Hall are within 15 feet of an operable window, and each of its four open offices has direct access to outdoor space.
Previously painted all white, new exterior trim colors are restored through detailed paint analyses.
Green roofs and photovoltaics help decrease the building’s environmental impacts.
The finished landmark is as innovative as it is spectacular—its incorporation of sustainable and efficient features sets a new standard for environmental design in Vermont and beyond.
David ProvostFormer Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration

New Spaces of Delight

Three porches provide “places of delight” from which to enjoy sweeping views of Lake Champlain.

Cost-effective design for people and planet

Sustainability at Perry Hall begins with building reuse—a significant carbon savings that preserves culture. Initial whole-team brainstorming about the design focused on a bioclimatic response to the site—capturing views and southern exposures for day-lighting and creating a high-performance building envelope. Early energy and thermographic models sent the design team back to the boards to reduce fenestration to below 40% without reducing views and daylight, and to increase thermal performance of the building enclosure, which achieved an overall R-value of 20 (60% better than code).

Project impact
  • 65%

    EUI reduction from the national average for this building type, thanks to a high-efficiency heat pump and energy-efficient lighting

  • 99%

    Of spaces have views to the outdoors, and each office area and assembly space has direct access to an outdoor space, either a porch or the terrace.

The building artfully blends the highest standards of historic preservation with dramatic new spaces and state-of-the-art environmental stewardship.
David ProvostFormer Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration

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Project Team

Collaborative Lighting, LLC

Engineering Ventures

Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies

Jensen Hughes

L.N. Consulting

Liz Pritchett Associates

New England Preservation Collaborative

Simpson Gumpertz & Heger

Threshold Acoustics, LLC

Wil-Spec

Photography

Anton Grassl/ESTO

Chris Payne

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