Shen Milsom & Wilke

West Chester University, Anderson Hall Renovation

West Chester, PA

AV & Multimedia

SM&W Contribution

Originally built in 1938, West Chester University’s (WCU) Anderson Hall stands at the heart of campus and serves as an architectural treasure to the University and as the largest classroom facility. SM&W provided audiovisual consulting services for the renovation of Anderson Hall, which strived to align the building with energy efficient upgrades and various improvements throughout the facility. Anderson Hall houses general purpose classrooms, an academic computing center, computer labs, a mathematics lab, and various support spaces.

The renovation effort included new computer labs for student use, updated classroom space, collaborative spaces for students, faculty & office spaces, and a student lounge. Our audiovisual team specified large screen displays for the building’s nine flat floor classrooms, two tiered 100-seat classrooms, five computer labs, the anthropology lab, the seminar room, the training room, multiple conference rooms, and the collaboration lounge. We also equipped seven collaboration classrooms with multiple displays to allow for smaller group work or shared content to other displays. In addition, SM&W provided the AV infrastructure to support recording and videoconferencing capabilities for the future. Wireless presentation capability was provided in all spaces throughout Anderson Hall via the University’s RamCast wireless network, and digital signage was provided on all floors of the building.

Because of this historic nature of the building, our consultants were faced with some challenges. In-wall cabling pathways could not always be provided, instructional lecterns were required to accommodate AV racks, and fixed ceiling heights constrained the maximum size of the specified displays in some areas. SM&W worked in tandem with the design team to overcome each challenge and provide a well-rounded design.