College of Wooster
Severance Chemistry Building

Middlebury’s science departments embrace the idea that experimentation and discovery are at the heart of the liberal arts experience. Their new building was an experiment to bring all science disciplines together into one building. Middlebury discovered that a large new science building serves not only to promote multidisciplinary collaboration but also as a catalyst for a major campus extension.

At 12 years old, this remarkable project remains a benchmark project for undergraduate science learning. It was among the first buildings to embrace student-centered interdisciplinary learning.

With its significant size, the building was considered an opportunity to extend the existing academic precinct to the northwest. The building and quadrangle become a new center for all students, anchoring future developments of this new campus precinct.