Built in 1928, Weatherford Hall is the campus icon of the Oregon State University campus. This historic structure, set in the center of campus, is elaborately designed and detailed. The rehabilitation was an opportunity to breathe new life into the building program by making this the first residential college in the Pacific Northwest.
SERA worked with Oregon State University to renovate this historic residence hall into a multi-functional building where students live, work, and attend classes. The concept of a living-learning environment was crystallized in a series of focus groups with students, faculty, alumni, university and housing staff in the predesign phase of the project. The building now combines classroom facilities, faculty offices, meeting rooms, incubator spaces and a workshop with the living spaces that accommodate faculty apartments, executive suites for visitors, and housing for 290 students in single, double and triple student rooms. The historic building also includes student recreation rooms, sauna, library, two historic reception rooms, and a popular campus café.
Both Weatherford Residential College and the SERA design process have been presented at national and international conferences as a case study for seismic renovation and creative use of historic university buildings. The renovation project was developed based upon principles of sustainability and was awarded LEED Certification in June 2007.
