Poulin + Morris (New York) designed environmental graphics for Dineen Hall, the new LEED Gold-certfied multi-use building at Syracuse University College of Law.
Since 1895, Syracuse University College of Law has offered its students a rigorous educational foundation for their careers. To meet the ever-evolving demands of a legal education and model a new-generation law school, the university opened Dineen Hall, a five-story, 200,000-sq.-ft., LEED Gold-certified building that contains classrooms, offices, a library, a ceremonial courtroom, casual gathering spaces, and a cafe. Developed by Gluckman Mayner Architects, the building features a masonry and glass exterior, an open architectural plan filled with natural light, collaborative work spaces, and a green roof, as well as state-of-the-art building technology.
P+M worked with the architects and the college to create a comprehensive environmental graphics, donor recognition, and wayfinding sign program for the building. Exterior identification and donor recognition consist of stainless steel letters spelling out Dineen Hall, as well as Carolyn and Robert Dineen—whose legacy and contributions made the new facility possible. Just below this, Syracuse University appears in the school’s signature orange, while College of Law appears in a complementary metallic grey.
Upon entering the building, visitors are greeted by a donor recognition wall composed of expansive wood panels. Donor names are featured in four sizes representing donor levels. In further honoring the Dineen family, the names of Carolyn and Robert’s 4 children (3 of whom also pursued careers in law and contributed to the Hall) are displayed above this wall. A brief history of the Dineen family, along with a portrait of Carolyn and Robert, is also displayed adjacent to the donor wall. Additional major donors are recognized in room dedications composed in translucent acrylic, dimensional letters. Base building panels consisting of painted photopolymer feature a recessed notch in which donor recognition information can be attached, creating a shape that reflects the building’s massing.
The environmental graphics component of the program includes a wall mural of Article III of the United States Constitution, the section that establishes the nation’s judicial branch, directly printed onto more than 100 wood panels in the school’s library. Printed in white, transparent ink, allowing the wood to be visible underneath, the text is an integral part of the building’s interior architecture.
