FRAME WW ORK PLAN University Context ORK PLA N Structure Yale University A Framework for Campus Planning A Framework for Campus Planning FRAME W ORK PLAN Yale University A Framework for Campus Planning April 2000 Cooper, Robertson & Partners Architecture, Urban Design Copyright © 2000 by Yale University. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this document or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information contact: Yale University, Office of Facilities, University Planning. CONTENT S Foreword Introduction 1 Yale’s Urban Campus 7 New Haven Context 10 University Setting 16 Historic Development 16 Structure 26 Campus Systems 30 Uses 30 Built Form 33 Landscape and Open Space 36 Circulation 39 Pedestrian 39 Vehicular 42 Bicycles 45 Parking 46 Services 50 Signage 51 Lighting 56 Summary 58 Principles for the Future 61 Open Space and Development Opportunities 69 Core 72 Broadway/Tower Parkway 74 Hillhouse 76 Science Hill 78 Upper Prospect 80 Medical Center 82 Yale Athletic Fields 84 Additional Areas of Mutual Interest 86 Campus Framework Systems 89 Uses 92 Built Form 94 Landscape and Open Space 98 Circulation 115 Pedestrian 116 Vehicular 119 Bicycles 128 Parking 130 Signage 140 Lighting 144 Neighborhood Interface 148 Planning Considerations 153 Accessibility 156 A Perspective on Historic Preservation 158 Environmental Aspects 160 Direct Economic Impact of Yale 165 in New Haven and Connecticut Information Technology 170 Utilities 173 Major Initiatives 177 Glossary of Terms 184 Acknowledgments 185 FORE W ORD Thanks to the generosity of Yale’s alumni and friends, the University is in the midst of the largest building and renovation program since its transformation during the period between the World Wars. In 1993, contemplating the enormous task before us, the Officers and the Fellows of the Corporation decided to tackle the problems of our decaying physical infrastructure by studying similar types of facilities classified by their academic function. We set in motion specialized working groups composed of academic administrators, faculty, students or other building users and facilities department personnel to develop program requirements for the facilities in several areas: the residential colleges, arts facilities, science facilities, libraries and athletic facilities. Other groups studied the needs of the Divinity, Law and Medical Schools. The work of these planning groups has already led to dramatic renovations of Berkeley College, the Sterling Memorial Library, the Payne Whitney Gymnasium and the Sterling Law Buildings, as well as the construction of a new undergraduate residence and the acquisition and renovation of a new home for the School of Art. Three years later, we recognized that we needed to develop a general framework that would bring greater coherence to our efforts. We needed advice on how to respect the distinctive character of the various parts of our campus and at the same time provide better connections among them. We sought not a master plan, in the sense of a detailed program, but instead a set of guidelines for design within various parts of the campus, as well as suggestions for improving the systems that unify the campus, such as signage, landscaping, lighting and traffic flow. We also sought guidance on how to understand the physical relationship between the University and the City of New Haven, at a time in our history when we were engaged in a substantial effort to improve the town-gown relationship at all levels. In selecting Cooper, Robertson & Partners as our consultants for this campus planning exercise, we affirmed a set of shared values and beliefs: • Yale’s ability to fulfill its academic mission is enhanced by insistence upon excellence in its physical facilities and surroundings. • Much of Yale’s academic strength derives from the interconnections among schools, departments and programs. • Yale should be a faithful steward of its great architectural heritage and its new buildings should strengthen that heritage for future generations. • The University and the City of New Haven are inextricably woven together in a vibrant urban tapestry. This interdependency should be recognized and reinforced in future decisions to the benefit of both. These values are reaffirmed in this final report, which is the culmination of three years of intensive consultation, conversation, and thinking about our campus. I am grateful to Alex Cooper and his partners and consultants for the valuable education they have given the Officers, the Fellows of the Corporation and many others at Yale. The future of our campus and our city will be enriched by their powerful thinking on issues of importance to us all. I also want to thank Joseph Mullinix, Vice President for Finance and Administration, as well as his able colleagues Pamela Delphenich and Robert Dincecco, for the outstanding support and assistance they provided throughout the entire campus planning process. Richard C. Levin President INTR ODUCTION 1 1 1 View of Yale and New Haven from southwest 2 Hewitt Quadrangle 2 2 FRAME W ORK PLAN 1 2 1 View to Harkness Tower from the Pierson College courtyard 2 Sterling Hall of Medicine Yale is a private university located in New Haven, Connecticut, a city that offers exceptional cultural attractions for its size. New Haven is set in a diverse geographic area (which includes a harbor, river, and two large rock promontories), and has a rich New England history, an original town plan with a public Green at its center, and a variety of architectural building styles. One cannot understand the current phys- ical issues of the Yale campus—for example, those pertaining to open space and landscape— without understanding the City context. Yale was chartered in 1701 to educate youth for “publick employment both in Church and Civil State.” The University has always fostered a sense of responsibility to the world at large—a responsi- bility that Yale graduates have fulfilled with great distinction, enriching the life of the city and the nation through their inventions, artistic expression, new ideas, and civic leadership. While it began with one building, Yale now has 340 buildings and 12.5 million gross square feet. It is spread across 835 acres—200 at its Central Campus, 25 at the Medical Center, 110 at Yale Athletic Fields, and 500 at its golf course and nature preserves. Yale offers incomparable richness through both its educational and campus experience. It con- sists of Yale College (which offers undergraduate programs in humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering), the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and 10 professional schools, including Architecture, Art, Divinity, Drama, Forestry & Environmental Studies, Law, Management, Medicine (including Public Health), Music and Nursing. Not only is Yale the only private institu- tion with four professional schools in the arts, it also is one of the world’s leading scientific research institutions. Yale has the world’s seventh largest library system, with over 10 million volumes in 21 libraries, including the Sterling Memorial and the Beinecke Rare Book Libraries. It has outstanding collec- tions in the Yale Art Gallery, Yale Center for British Art and Peabody Museum of Natural History. Yale University Framework Plan 3 A Framework for Campus Planning Introduction INTR ODUCTION Introduction 1 2 1 Walter Camp Gate 2 View north on Prospect Street toward Science Hill Yale also has impressive athletic facilities and an active intramural program. More than a fifth of its students participate in intercollegiate sports and more than half participate in intramural sports. The University offers 33 intercollegiate sports (16 for men, 17 for women), including baseball, basketball, crew, cross country, field hockey, fencing, football, golf, gymnastics, hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, squash, swimming, tennis, and indoor and outdoor track. Yale has about 10,900 students—5,300 undergraduates, 2,300 graduate students and 3,300 professional students—and its admissions policies put it among the world’s most competitive institutions. Of the 13,000 young women and men applying to the College each year, Yale accepts fewer than 20 percent. Each undergraduate belongs to one of 12 residential colleges, which offer the advantages of a small school within the opportunities of a large university. The residential college is a student’s academic and social focus. Each college is a building complex, with a common room, dining hall, library, academic offices (including Dean’s suite and faculty offices), student activity areas, student residences, and a Master’s house. These buildings, which have a distinguished architectural char- acter, surround a landscaped interior courtyard or courtyards. The students not only identify with their college but also develop strong ties and loyalties to it. The intramural sports program, for instance, revolves around the 12 colleges. Yale’s physical image has been shaped by the architecture of these colleges, many of which are American Collegiate Gothic. Other buildings—such as the Sterling Memorial Library, Payne Whitney Gymnasium, Sterling Law Building, and Hall of Graduate Studies—extended the American Collegiate Gothic tradition at Yale. At the same time, the Beinecke Rare Book Library, Center for British Art and the Art & Architecture Building offered modern designs that were placed in juxta- position and contrast with their surroundings—enlivening the campus with elements of visual surprise and dynamism. 4 FRAME W ORK PLAN 1 1 Aerial