Surber Barber Choate & Hertlein

Swann School of Modern Languages
Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, Georgia

The Jane Austell Swann building was built in 1901, as a three-story brick and limestone dormitory building in the Neo-classical Revival style. The building is a part of the Georgia Tech historic District and falls under the jurisdiction of the Georgia Historic Preservation Division.

Surber Barber Choate & Hertlein Architects' scope of work included programming for the School of Modern Languages and three phases of design and construction.

Phase I included window replacement and exterior renovation. Phase II addressed the HVAC infrastructure, while Phase III enveloped the interior build-out.

The spaces that were created include a student lounge, a faculty loungge, classrooms, an administrative suite, faculty offices, a conference room, computer labs, restrooms, and mechanical / electrical support spaces.

One of the major challenges involved optimizing air distribution without compromising the historic windows and interior door transoms with low ceilings. This was accomplished by putting major equipment in the attic space and distributing vertically, with smaller horizontal runs.

The design focus became restoring and enhancing the historic character of the original building, while contrasting this with new, contemporary elements. A warm, inviting color scheme helped avoid a stoic, institutional feel.

All Images © Thomas Watkins