University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA | Education

ISG worked with the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) to relocate departments in an outdated residence hall turned academic building.

With accessibility and environmental issues, UNI’s Baker Hall inadequately housed the six academic departments that called it home, necessitating relocation and renovation to Bartlett Hall.

UNI commissioned ISG to study solutions in relocating the six academic departments housed in Baker Hall, which had serious accessibility and environmental issues, to Bartlett Hall. Built in 1917 and a former residence hall, Bartlett Hall required a significant renovation to house these new departments. ISG determined that the best viable solution was to renovate Bartlett Hall into faculty offices, seminar rooms, and laboratories in a way that allowed the University to preserve the building’s status as historically significant. This renovation allowed Bartlett Hall to catch up with current standards and provide convenient and appropriate space for faculty and staff. Working with all user group stakeholders, ISG’s design updated the existing dormitory building layout to create a modern facility that gives each department its own identity while providing spaces for interdisciplinary collaboration. The facility’s educational spaces now intertwine with faculty departments to create a socially interactive space for learning.

Once the departments had been relocated, Baker Hall was demolished, opening up the central campus to the main southern entry and improving accessibility on campus. The demolition of Baker Hall also improved connection of the central part of the campus to the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center, a frequently used event space for the University.