Yale University MENA Cultural Center

Newman worked with Yale University to renovate multiple spaces on the first floor of historic 305 Crown Street to create a home for students in Yale’s Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Cultural Community, who previously were without an official designated space. The new 2,900 square foot first floor cultural center includes a flexible, multi-purpose lounge/study room, large communal kitchen and dining space, offices, and support spaces. Within the lounge/study room, a folding partition wall provides the option to divide the space, creating opportunity for privacy and noise reduction in the multi-purpose space.

Finish colors and patterns were selected as a warm, contemporary background for select new and retained furnishings that represent the diversity of the MENA region. The soft, contemporary overhead lighting supports the creation of a light and airy atmosphere in the spaces. The communal kitchen, the largest accessible to students on campus, has become a popular resource on campus since opening.

The two-phase project included substantial mechanical system upgrades throughout the four-story building to bring air conditioning to all spaces. The team was able to accomplish the work in a very compressed timeline of seven months from kick-off to move-in, with design completed within two months and construction happening over summer break.