The Pond

Goals and Criteria

After identifying our six user personas, we set three main goals for the rest of our proposal:

1. To leverage the position of the first floor of the Physical Sciences Building as a central node of campus

2. To best utilize the space as a hub of student gathering and collaboration through the provision of necessary furniture and atmospheric qualities

3. To research and address the disconnect in event and academic purposes of the space

Additionally, we created three main criteria of what entails a good collaborative learning environment (influenced by our case studies and user/observational research). All of our assessments of PSB and its five spaces connect back to these themes and were essential to our recommendation process to be detailed within the report.

Short Term Recommendations (Phase 1)*.

To summarize the overarching strategies for the short-term proposals, we focused on the following three aspects across the 5 different spaces within PSB:

Maintenance

Maintenance involves utilizing multi-functional furnishings that reduce the need for storage and make it easier to adapt to different settings.

Furniture

Furniture solutions include the use of modular furniture pieces that are made with organic and warm materials to support user comfort.

* This is a summary of the long term spaces and is by no means comprehensive. For an all-encompassing explanation of our short-term recommendations for all the spaces, click here to see the full document at the bottom of the page.

Long Term Recommendations (Phase 2).

In Phase 2, or our long-term recommendations, our goal is to transform PSB into Cornell’s most central and diverse interdisciplinary hub. We see PSB as having the potential to be such a space due to the variety of activity and user types within the space already. The centrality of PSB attracts many people to not only sit down and work on the space, but also to simply pass through it in order to get from one area of campus to another. The provisions of furniture, technology, and spaciousness existing in PSB, and specifically Clark Atrium, also make it a desirable venue for events, which introduces a user group beyond just studiers or passerby.

We see PSB and the foresight of its function as an interdisciplinary hub as a remedy for the physical separation of disciplines across Cornell’s campus. With distinct quads and building conglomerates for most colleges on Cornell’s campus, it is not very often that students of different backgrounds or studies interact, let alone cross paths. This existing separation has only worsened with the COVID-19 pandemic, and the long-term solutions we have formulated offer steps to move towards a more unified campus — through the provision of a space for any person of any study.

Branding.

Based on our goals of transforming PSB into an interdisciplinary hub, we developed a brand strategy that aims to support this endeavor. Inspired by the blue glass of PSB and the building acting as a gathering ground within the Cornell ecosystem, we developed The Pond, a brand and space that envisions a welcoming and casual gathering spot to address the academic and social needs of students from all majors and concentrations.

The function of Baker Portico in the long term is to provide users with any individual study needs they may have. One of our main observations was that Baker Portico receives a lot of noise and traffic from other adjacent areas in and around PSB, however the space mostly accommodates individual and small group work. Therefore, our strategy for this space is to dedicate it solely to focused, quiet study by creating an inclusive environment with multiple options for privacy and comfort that would allow studiers to have access to their optimal environment.

A key implementation in this space will be the individual work pods. These pods are equipped with semi-translucent partitions, small desks, a lamp, and a footrest, and are mainly for students who need a quiet and visually-private space.

Another novel feature to be introduced in the space is a set of modular seats. To be placed along the portico’s large west-facing window, these proposed modular seats, with the ability to have a larger enclosing back installed, help users dictate their visual privacy.

Last, we intend to let existing tables and chairs remain in the space, next to the fixed bench. It is our goal to install cushions on the bench to provide users with a further degree of comfort.

Our vision for Baker Atrium in the long-term is for it to be a lounge acting as a hotspot dining and casual area. In our observations, we noticed that the space currently lacks any key identity or characteristic attached to it. Most students either simply pass straight through after their visit to Goldie’s Café or hunker down in one of the chairs along the perimeters of the corridor. Therefore, we want to reactivate and energize this space in a way that can better serve the students by creating a casual environment with multiple options for both relaxation and socialization.

First, we imagine revitalizing the space with bar-height tables and seats that can be used by students who are making a pit-stop at Goldie’s Café or for those who are looking for a more informal work setting.

We also aim to add plush seating options such as sofas and couches to reiterate the idea of this being a lounge that students can use to socialize and relax with peers. With modular lounge seating options, we hope to integrate students in the co-creation of this space, ultimately giving them the autonomy to design their environment as they see fit.

Of the five spaces we are reimagining, Clark Atrium is the most significant of them. Despite how the existing activity and qualities of the space support various social interactions, we have identified that there is still an opportunity to better facilitate collaboration in the atrium. We  believe this can be done by leveraging its position within PSB as its dual functionality as both an academic and event space. Therefore, our goal for Clark Atrium is for it to be one of the most optimized collaboration spaces on campus.

Similarly to the previous spaces, we intend to use modular furniture to facilitate group and individual work, as well as create dynamic and adjustable environments that cater to both the needs of students and events. The collaboration spaces specifically should also be provided essential amenities for productive group work, such as whiteboards and digital monitors. Since the modular furnishings will serve different spatial purposes, it is important that they are lightweight, stackable, and soft for easy transportation and arrangement.

To go along with the initial branding of The Pond, we are looking to implement a stand-alone mobile application. This application allows students to view the availability of and reserve the collaborative booths — called Lily Pads — located in the space. Students can choose any duration of time to reserve a booth, and cancel their reservation at any time as well.

Our long-term vision for the South Passageway is for it to be a quiet and casual space to study or work. Since the space’s structure is almost entirely fixed and the egress pathway (smoke doors lined alongside the corridor) must be maintained based on building code, the implementation of large-scale spatial or furniture-based solutions is limited. Instead, we want to leverage the fact that it is a frequented travel path to other spaces and areas of campus by developing a branding intervention that welcomes users into the space.

We envision murals to be painted on the columns as well as on the north wall to reinforce the idea of this space being approachable and accessible to any student. Through the use of playful and relaxing graphics such as fish and lily pads, we hope to bring a sense of belonging and attachment to the space. 

In addition to these murals, the built-in stone benches will be complemented with “power stations” that act as armrests and semi-partitions, as well as providing outlets for students to easily and quickly charge devices while working or while on the go. 

The long-term function of Rockefeller Terrace is to be the only outdoor space on campus optimized for year-round work. Despite its favorable location and ample size, the actual space is rarely inhabited by anyone, even in the warmer months. With most of the square footage taken up by large stone planters and built-in stone benches that are uncomfortable for long-periods of sitting, the existing provisions severely limit the opportunities for people to interact with the space. Therefore, we reimagine the space as “The Patio”, a comfortable and rejuvenating environment for students that is usable in various outdoor temperatures or weather conditions. 

Since we intend for this space to be used all-year round, we recommend that it be fitted with weatherproof tables and chairs made using organic materials with a high specific heat. This enables students to utilize the furnishings in rain or shine, ensures that the furniture will be durable enough to withstand weathering, and prevents them from getting too hot or cold to the touch.

We are also proposing the installment of permanent canopies and lighting fixtures in the space. The canopies should have the necessary technological capacity to be responsive to different types of weather conditions and ultimately protect students from the elements. Additionally, the lighting fixtures should be able to provide adequate task illumination when there is less daylight. Overall, these new installations ensure that students can continuously work, relax, and socialize in this outdoor setting.

We hope to see you at The Pond!

 We saw the amount of spaces in PSB as an opportunity to create a diverse and welcoming space for any student pursuing any study at Cornell. Therefore, each of the five spaces we analyzed and developed strategies for — Baker Portico, Baker Atrium, Clark Atrium, the South Passageway, and Rockefeller Terrace — provide for different needs. Whether a user needs an individual or collaborative workspace, an event space, a space to eat, a space to charge a device on the go, or a space to simply relax, The Pond has it all. With this broad set of accommodations that the space makes for users, The Pond can be one of the most interdisciplinary and well-suited spaces on campus for the Cornell community.