Gary M. Sumers Welcome Center and Craig and Nancy Schnuck Pavilion

This project appeared in the February 2020 issue of ARCHITECT, as part of our coverage of Washington University's East End Transformation.

The Schnuck Pavilion houses a dining hall and offices. The low-iron glazing achieves maximum visual transparency, while fritting and metal backing plates behind some of the glass reduce the overall building transparency from 100% to 50%, helping to control energy use and heat gain.

The Sumers Welcome Center houses a reception area for campus visitors, administrative offices for the admissions and student financial services departments, and a function space behind the ultra-clear glazing at its north end.

"We don’t make material selections the way we did 50 years ago or even 100 years ago, on the basis of pure craft, form, and tactility," says James Timberlake, FAIA. "You make it on the basis of performance. You can make very efficient walls out of glass, despite this perception right now that because it’s thin it isn’t doing any work."

Project Credits
Projects: Gary M. Sumers Welcome Center and Craig and Nancy Schnuck Pavilion
Architect: KieranTimberlake, Philadelphia . James Timberlake, FAIA, Richard Maimon, FAIA, Marilia Rodrigues, AIA, Kate Czembor, AIA, Adam Loughry, AIA, Nick Sillies, AIA, Charles Sparkman, AIA, Jeremy Leman, Jazz Graves, AIA, Claire Edelen, AIA, Brian Kerr, Suzanne Mahoney, AIA, Patrick Morgan, AIA, Ryan Wall, AIA (project team)
Local Architect: Tao + Lee Associates
FFE: Arcturis
Structural Engineer: KPFF Consulting Engineers
MEP Engineer: BuroHappold Engineering, with KAI Engineering
Central Utilities MEP Engineer: McClure Engineering
Civil Engineer: Cole
Geotechnical Engineer: Geotechnology
Construction Manager: McCarthy Building Cos.
Landscape Architect: Michael Vergason Landscape Architects with Arbolope Studio
Lighting Designer: Fisher Marantz Stone
AV Consultant: The Sextant Group
Code Consultant: Code Consultants
Façade Consultant: Eckersley O’Callaghan & Partners
Acoustics: Metropolitan Acoustics
Soils and Irrigation: Jeffrey L. Bruce & Co.
Campus Mobility: Schulze+Grassov
Cost Estimator: The Capital Projects Group
Food Service: Webb Foodservice Design
Waterproofing: Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates
Graphics: Kuhlmann Leavitt
Specifications: Heller & Metzger
LEED Administration: Sustainable Design Consulting
Size: 25,500 gross square feet (Sumers); 18,000 gross square feet (Schnuck)