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Rothstein Warden Centennial Learning Center

Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science North Chicago, Illinois

Higher Education

Expansion offers more efficient space for university’s interactive teaching style

The Centennial Learning Center creates a new front door to Rosalind Franklin University’s 97-acre campus, provides a hub of student activity, and encourages teamwork. Seventy-five percent of the 73,000-square-foot center is dedicated to learning spaces that enhance interaction between faculty and students. The new space also includes a suite of offices for a nursing program.

HIGHLIGHTS

Learning labs support variety of group sizes and teaching formats
Prominent space above entry functions as both educational space and event venue
Renovated café, fitness room, and aerobics room create center of activity
Design inspired by DNA sequencing and Dr. Rosalind Franklin’s role in its discovery

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The Place to Be

The 3-level center has offices, lecture halls, learning laboratories, a fitness center, locker rooms, and student common areas. The café renovation includes updated kitchen, serving, and cafeteria spaces.

Learning Labs

Large-scale learning labs house 100 to 300 students, but also support small-scale teams. Each lab offers video screens and large tables with eight stations wired for computers.

rosalind-franklin-centennial-center-learning-lab

rosalind-franklin-centennial-center-cafe

DNA Café

The renovated DNA Café connects the Centennial Learning Center addition with the existing campus and serves as a new student union. The renovated kitchen is completely upgraded with modernized equipment.

Centennial Room

The glass wall above the entry displays the Centennial Room, a learning lab that doubles as a venue for special functions. The space extends over the entry to form a canopy.

rosalind-franklin-centennial-center-corridor

DNA in the Design

The design reflects the legacy of the university’s namesake, Dr. Rosalind Franklin, as a central figure in the discovery of the structure of DNA; DNA sequencing inspired the slender window slots and patterns in the carpeting, walls, and paving.