Adaptive Re-Use/Re-Purpose
L.E.FT Architects
Poughkeepsie, NY
The workshops conducted at the existing Pratt House at Vassar College among diverse theological participants were dynamic yet respectful and formulated new interpretations of sacrality, spirituality, and iconography.
The project fundamentally transformed the house’s existing spaces, with minimum alterations. The primary strategy was one of un-doing. Interior elements were reconfigured to achieve the new spatial goals. Removing the second-floor ceiling, for example, allows the new shared prayer hall a generous height, integrating the historic pitched roof and exposing its wooden rafters. A new skylight provides natural ventilation and light. During disassembly, structurally superfluous wood beams were reused to support the roof ridge.
Hybrid built-in components were designed to serve the liturgical needs of the multireligious community: for example, a kosher kitchen that also functions as a halal kitchen. The built-ins include the first ADA-compliant ablution basin in the United States, while a reconfigurable table system supports the varied communal feasts.
A desire for material and spatial economy of the interior was extended to the exterior landscape. The college’s building activities and material wastes were mapped, and excess materials, from brick to bluestone, were identified and upcycled to construct a processional meditation labyrinth on the center grounds. The overall architectural resolution is hybrid. Taking inspiration from the long tradition of reuse found in historical religious architecture, it transforms Pratt House’s structure into a layered condition of interwoven spaces and religious practices.
Jury Comments
The project promises great equity in use, appropriate for all students, accomplished with a minimalist architectural vocabulary. The timber employed is rendered as a gorgeous material, and there are many examples in the project of thoughtful upcycling for emulation.
Project Team Members
Ziad Jamaleddine
Maxime St. Pierre
Mathew Davis
Makram el-Kadi
Alyna Karachiwala
Reem Makkawi
Sixuan Chen
Stephan van Eeden
Adina Bauman
Jake Rosenwald
Max Goldner
Project Consultants
Murray Engineering / Structural Consultant, Local Architect
Consigli Construction Co., Inc. / General Contractor
Studio Multi LLC / Millwork
One Nature LLC / Landscape Architect
