Representatives from planning and design firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) hosted a workshop Thursday night to discuss a long-term facilities plan for the college, kicking off the College’s first master planning project in over a decade. 

“At a place like Bowdoin, history and legacy and vision are very important,” said architect and urban designer Doug Voigt, who was involved in the College’s last master planning project.
Around 40 students and administrators gathered to discuss likes and dislikes of the College in the Cram Alumni House. They touched on things like favorite buildings, best study spots, good and bad classrooms and a whole host of other issues. 

Arranged by Bowdoin Student Government Vice President for Facilities and Sustainability Kevin Hernandez ’18, the meeting was primarily discussion-based, with students posting suggestions via text message to a computer screen. 

Much of the talk revolved around the use of classroom space—the “dungeon-like classrooms” in Searles, the underutilization of Hubbard Hall and a general preference for tables over tiny desks. 

First year Danny Miro pointed out that, given the recent popularity of standing while studying on the first floor of Hawthorne-Longfellow Library, planners should considering standing classroom space.

Additionally, several concerns were raised about the field and court space available in Farley Field House as well as the problem of common spaces in dorms throughout campus. 

In an interview with the Orient, President Clayton Rose expressed optimism for the project. 

“It’s not about putting up a building. It’s about what we want to do, what we want to be and then what kind of physical facilities we need to help us accomplish that,” said Rose. “We’re going to be bold and ambitious about taking Bowdoin to even greater heights intellectually and in terms of the experiences folks have on campus.”

Seeing this as merely a preliminary meeting, representatives from SOM said they would be back in a few months to continue the dialogue as they prepare their plan. In the interim, however, they encouraged students to submit suggestions to campusplanning@bowdoin.edu.