Today’s students expect more from a dining hall than a place to grab some food. The old cafeteria space is now the essential hangout on campus: a “third place” for study groups, socializing, and, of course, eating a healthy meal.
The problem is that many dining halls have been around since the mid-20th-century enrollment boom. Even with periodic renovations, these buildings remain in service 50 to 70 years later.
Administrators understand student life has changed dramatically, especially post-pandemic. Technology has reset the rhythms of campus life and food-service models have evolved. When an update to the space is needed, the challenges of renovating an occupied dining hall are quite different than whipping one up from scratch.
Campus leaders need to find creative opportunities and innovative solutions to stay on budget. With a thoughtful approach that includes input from students and employees, the building’s limitations can spark innovation.
Order up for dining hall access
As campuses grow, more real estate is not always available in the centralized locations where dining halls will be most used. There is often a need to increase seating capacity or service functionality inside the existing footprint.
Older buildings may need retrofitting for ADA compliance with elevators available for both diners and service functions.
Bryant University’s Salmanson Dining Hall was built in 1970 and a keyed entry pad was later added for campus security. This caused a bottleneck and queuing that blocked doors to classrooms and offices.
My firm worked with the university to tackle both accessibility and the congestion by adding an external elevator shaft that allowed the creation of a new entryway. Foot traffic was rerouted from going through the building and moved the main entrance away from the serving lines.
Side order of seating
Adding seating into limited space can prove more challenging. But there are often underutilized areas that can be repurposed. It takes careful site analysis to determine if there is a chance to create multi-level or multi-zone layouts to maximize capacity.
The University of Connecticut’s Putnam Refectory had surrounding topography that allowed for a new entrance and the creation of a two-story dining hall. The low ceiling on the under-utilized bottom level was left exposed and the concrete structure and mechanical systems were painted to create visual spaciousness.
Many dining halls can feature lighting and material choices that impact visual height and openness.
Sometimes the feeling of spaciousness can cause its own problems. Old-fashioned cafeterias might be cavernous with harsh acoustics. These spaces can be broken into functional areas with a variety of seating options, from solo to large groupings for socializing.
Materials and furnishings can be used to address acoustics as well as defining functional spaces. At Quinnipiac University’s North Haven Campus, our team took advantage of existing skylights to tone down the echo. They added illuminated acoustic baffles suspended from a wooden ceiling canopy.
Pardon our dust
Once an architectural plan is approved, it needs to be executed. Scheduling construction around dining operations is complicated.
From demolition to training the staff on new equipment, campus leaders, construction crews, and operational staff all need to communicate their needs and schedule the most disruptive work around the academic calendar.
Expect competing priorities. Facilities, dining services, engineering, and students may have different expectations or limitations. Engage everyone early and often to maintain communication and transparent decision making.
Collaborative planning will build buy-in and patience until the dust settles. Even then, plan for training time. It may take serving staff a few months to feel up to speed on new equipment and taking on the fall rush.
Taste of thrift
Students are not the only ones with big tastes and a little budget. For campus planning, there are ways to set up for the future.
If current funding or program needs don’t allow full build-out, you can still design with future expansion in mind. A patio creates a footprint for future space, from adding outdoor seating to enclosing the space completely. Keep in mind pathways for future infrastructure.
Operational continuity, fixed footprints, and aging infrastructure need not limit dining hall design. When campuses turn the limitations into opportunity, the result is a renovation project that delivers a recipe for success.
Photo credit: Amenta Emma Architects/Robert Benson Photography
