Wellesley College Alumni Hall Commissioning

Historic theater modernization.

Colliers Project Leaders was engaged to serve as commissioning agent during the renovation of Wellesley College’s Alumnae Hall. Alumnae Hall, originally constructed in 1923, houses the Theatre Studies Department, a 1300-seat auditorium, a black box theatre, and a ballroom for dance rehearsals, parties, and aerobics.

An important aspect of this project was to maintain the building’s historic character while modernizing the building’s infrastructure. The project included enhancements to the building’s infrastructure and existing facilities, such as the auditorium and ballroom, modernization of the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, and accessibility upgrades. Specific examples included modern heating, cooling, and ventilation systems, emergency power systems, stage lighting, accessible seating areas and a new elevator. The Theatre seating capacity was reduced to 1000-seats to accommodate the accessibility requirements.

The focus of the commissioning process was to verify that Wellesley received a building that met its needs and that operates properly. The commissioning process for this project was developed according to the LEED process to meet the requirements for EA Prerequisite 1, Fundamental Commissioning and EA Credit 3, Enhanced Commissioning.