Originally constructed in 1925, this vital 300-seat lecture hall serves the specialized instructional requirements of the university’s distinguished Physics and Astronomy departments, ranked among the top in the nation.

Moving into the 21st century, the hall was in great need of technological and systemic modernization. BFA installed advanced audiovisual systems, multi-mode lighting, new HVAC, and acoustical treatment to bring the space up to date. Innovative counter-balanced chalkboards provide a maximum area of shadow-free writing surface. Borrowing technology from its theater work, BFA designed motorized overhead rigging to enable lecturing physicists to set up large-scale scientific demonstrations. The team also designed rolling benches that can be wheeled in from a lateral prep lab where teaching assistants set up experiments prior to lectures. High-resolution video cameras project bench procedures onto the large screen.

Concurrent with the installation of up-to-the-minute technology, the original wood and cast iron table-arm chairs were removed, restored, and reinstalled to preserve the historic ambiance of the hall.