Open to Multicultural Perspectives
03/16/2017
Thanks to Professor of Architecture Hansy Better Barraza, Latinx and Asian students at Wellesley College have an inviting new space in which to build community on campus. In renovating Acorns House, Barraza and her team at Studio Luz Architects in Boston added a well-equipped kitchen, mid-century modern furnishings and a view of Wellesley’s lovely Lake Waban through a wall of glass windows.
Wellesley was interested in commissioning an architect representative of the community the space is designed to serve, says Barraza, who was born in Colombia. “They took a chance on us, and the trustees, faculty and students are very happy with the results.”
The primary challenge for Studio Luz was to design a space that could accommodate multiple cultures and be sensitive to the original design intent of the building, which dates from 1955. Focus groups of faculty, staff and students helped her team design a multicultural center that reflects intersecting identities and provides flexible spaces suitable for a range of purposes.
—Simone Solondz
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