A Tour of E. Craig Wall Jr. Academic Center
The newest addition to the Davidson campus is an innovative, sleek space named in honor of E. Craig Wall Jr. ’59. It was built thanks to a $45 million grant from the Duke Endowment and an additional $49 million from alumni, parents, friends, and foundations.
From the outside, the building is modern but still holds true to the Davidson campus.
Walking in from the second-floor entrance adjacent to Chambers, you’re met with a huge open space. It can be a little overwhelming at first. There’s a lot of sleek cement, polished wood, and green upholstery–very unfamiliar to anyone who’s spent most of their time in Chambers.
Your eyes will probably zero in on the stairs pretty quickly. Not to be confused with the stairs you walk on to get from floor to floor, these stairs are meant for studying, thanks to power outlets and cushions.
Wall is a great place to study because much of the building seems to be designed specifically for that purpose. Clusters of armchairs, tables, and whiteboards can be found on every floor. At the end of the hallways on all three floors (except for the first floor eastern hallway) are study lounges named after their respective donors. In the middle of most hallways are open spaces with whiteboards and conference style tables.
On the southern end of the building, you’ll find teaching laboratories, research laboratories, faculty offices, and classrooms all designed for adaptability and collaboration.
Now for the necessities: The bathrooms on all floors are found catty-corner to the stairs, and the water fountains are right around the corner on the eastern hallways. The vending machine is in the northwest corner near the living wall. There is a computer lab with a printer located on the basement level.
Of course, no tour of Wall is complete without the living wall. The living wall is a vertical garden that spans all three floors of the center.
Really, the best way to know your way around Wall is to go explore it for yourself. Whether or not you have class there, it’s a beautiful space to lounge, study, or collaborate.
If you are interested in writing an article for Her Campus Davidson, contact us at davidson@hercampus.com or come to our weekly meeting Tuesday at 8pm in the Morcott Room.
SaveSave