Williams Halls Precinct – Lehigh University
The renovation of Williams Hall will allow for solutions to a number of campus circulation and landscape challenges in the surrounding vicinity. The landscape surrounding Williams Hall does not currently provide student gathering spaces. Additionally, the vehicle access road around Williams Hall isolates the building and prioritizes vehicular traffic over pedestrian circulation.
By allowing only service traffic and parking for those with accessibility permits, the roadway surrounding Williams Hall will be narrowed to minimize the “moat” effect, and asphalt will be replaced to create a welcoming plaza at the north entrance. At the new south entrance through the Annex, a ‘Global Plaza’ off of Sayre Drive will reflect the global character of Williams Hall’s new program, and what is being called the “Cultural Hillside” around Williams Hall can become a welcoming and safe place for people from all over the campus to gather.
