Built using a combination of new construction as well extensive renovation and re-use of a historic building, Carleton College’s new Weitz Center for Creativity spurs the Carleton community toward innovative work and encourages creativity to emerge not only in the arts but across the entire curriculum.  Located on the Northfield, MN campus, the Weitz Center became the third building at Carleton College to be certified as LEED Gold.

“This facility, designed with imagination and care, will be key to ensuring that Carleton delivers a liberal arts education that includes a high level of visual literacy and an understanding of the role that creativity plays in all disciplines,” said president Steven Poskanzer.

Design for the project was provided by Meyer Scherer & Rockcastle LTD (MSR), Minneapolis.  The firm is known for its renovation and adaptive re-use work.

MG McGrath out of Maplewood, Minnesota installed approximately 11,000 sq. ft. of Dri-Design .080 aluminum panels finished in Charcoal Gray was used to clad the new construction portion of the project which linked with a historic middle school complex that had adjoining buildings from three different eras.

“The material choice for the new building had a lot to do with being different from the historic structures that had used a variety of styles and masonry,” according to Thomas Meyer, principal at MSR.  “That’s where the Dri-Design came in. By using a modern, clean material, we were able to transform the identity of a tired old middle school to the sophisticated level of a contemporary liberal arts college.”