Chandler Ullmann Hall, Lehigh University, Pennsylvania Building, American Architecture Photos
Chandler Ullmann Hall, Lehigh University in Bethlehem
Sep 6, 2020
Chandler Ullmann Hall at Lehigh University
Design: MGA Partners
Location: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA

At the historic center of Lehigh University?s campus, Chandler Ullmann Hall stands out with iconic red brick chimneys that identify it as one of the first collegiate chemistry buildings in the country, unique for its innovations in ventilation and safety.

The original T-shaped building, designed by Addison Hutton, opened in 1883 with later additions for a West Wing in 1919 and an East Wing in 1937. While continually occupied by academic departments for over a century, during the past several decades it became tired, ineffective, and unloved.
The entire building is being renovated and selectively restored for new use as the home of the Department of Psychology and the Department of Math, both popular undergraduate programs requiring classrooms, faculty offices, and labs.

Reviving the durable but rather inflexible masonry building presented several essential challenges. Originally built with little infrastructure, Chandler Ullmann Hall had endured over a century of accretive layers of ductwork, wiring, devices, and lighting?all of which had lost its usefulness.

Unlike a contemporary building with chases and service zones, new infrastructure pathways are carefully introduced into the renovation so that the cha...