Building on tradition

The design of Ashley Hall's most recent addition needed to be special not only because any school's library and science center deserve a first-rate building.

It also needed to be good because it would be built in a special place: It would lie directly across senior lawn from the McBee House, the early 19th century, Regency-era landmark that serves as Ashley Hall's architectural soul.

And then there's downtown Charleston's ever-present and often tricky issue of style in a historic context.

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Ashley Hall's New Library

The architects for Ashley Hall's new library and science building were asked to do a lot, from creating a building that fit into the private school's historic context to minimizing energy costs.

The job fell to Goff D'Antonio Associates, and its project architect Tony Giuliani also worked on the design with Shepley Bulfinch, a long-established Boston architectural firm.

"When we met with (City Preservation Architect) Eddie (Bello), he wanted a modern building, but Ashley Hall wanted a more traditional building that matched the community and the campus," Giuliani says.

Each got something.

The bulk of the library and science center is a traditional design, including a pedimented portico on the northern facade that's clearly riffing on McBee's architecture while not copying it.

One nice aspect to its exterior is the way its base, especially on the eastern facade, serves as bleachers for the nearby field where students play kickball, volleyball and soccer.

Also, the nine large planters outside the entrance on the northern facade entrance give students a place to rest, while the space nearby can be used as a graduation stage.

While the building doesn't have shutters, it does contain 2-inch-deep recesses whose portions match those of shutters. "It helps us break up the building," Giuliani says.

The traditional portion has four columns -- and colors and railings -- that draw inspiration from the McBee house, but the entrance and main stair that connect the new library and science building with the existing Jenkins classroom building is metal and glass -- distinctly more contemporary.

"Ashley Hall was sort of resistant to it, but they came around," Giuliani says. "We had to really separate these buildings, and the key to doing it was making this piece a modern piece."

It works because its color and form are simple, even understated, and because it's recessed so it doesn't compete for attention with the more traditional.

"It's got good bookends," Giuliani says of the modern piece. "It's not standing out."

The school also hopes the building will win a silver-level award from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

Giuliani says the campus layout restricted the architects from siting the building in a way that maximized available sunlight and the budget ruled out installing a geothermal heating and cooling system, but they did add a 25,000- gallon cistern under the tennis court that collects the new building's rainwater and uses it for irrigation and flushing toilets.

Also, the building essentially has two walls, a concrete-masonry wall stuccoed over on the outside, and metal studs covered by drywall on the inside.

A two-inch airspace separates them and helps insulate the building. Outside lights minimize light pollution, and a sensor on the roof can gauge the sunlight and manipulate the building's shades to limit heat gain on warm days.

Altogether, the design easily makes it the second best building on campus.

Robert Behre may be reached at 937-5771 or by fax at 937-5579. His e-mail address is rbehre@postandcourier.com, and his mailing address is 134 Columbus St., Charleston, SC 29403.