A century ago, when architect Albert Kahn designed University of Michigan’s Kraus Building, botany and mineralogy were still cutting-edge disciplines. The cutting edge of science has changed, and today the university’s fourth largest school is kinesiology, the science of physical activity. As social understanding grows of movement’s importance to wellbeing, so does student interest in kinesiology, and the university needed to consolidate the school’s programs into a single home.

The designers evaluated every aspect of Kraus against the needs of the School of Kinesiology, and determined it was worth preserving the original structure — which had included an inner courtyard. To leverage the potential of the courtyard, the design removes modifications from the courtyard and replaces them with an infill.

Atop the new infill, a skylight penthouse floods the space with daylight, while in the existing building, original windows — a hallmark of modernity for the historic structure — are once again accessible. Wrapped in curving staircases and overlooked by breakout balconies, this new commons, with its open-plan meeting places, acts as an academic crossroads for students and faculty. By encouraging collaboration, enabling interdisciplinary work, and reflecting human movement, it establishes a new identity for the building and new potential.