Wofford College – Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts

When Wofford College decided to build the Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts, Robins & Morton was involved from the project’s inception. This facility would be a significant structure on the Wofford campus, and would require the demolition of 10 fraternity houses before construction, before becoming home to academic programs in theatre arts, visual arts and art history. Robins & Morton’s early involvement to ensure superior value and efficiency throughout the building process was critical to the first building on campus completely dedicated to the arts program, featuring a theatre, artistic rooms and studios, and a café.

Despite several challenges, such as flooding rainfall, limited delivery access to the site, and limited workforce, the project’s collaborative atmosphere proved beneficial in overcoming any obstacles faced. Throughout all phases, the Robins & Morton-led project team evaluated processes and conducted constructibility exercises to identify value-engineering opportunities. Their ability to collaborate and assess the project throughout allowed for a completion that was on-time and under budget.

The 65,000-square-foot arts center is home to the best theater facilities of their type in Upstate South Carolina. The facility has a 100-seat Black Box theater, sculpting room, painting room, 3D digital studio and 2D room, upper and lower museums, acting room, café and courtyard with amphitheater seating.

This particular project is the recipient of one national and one regional Associated Builders and Contractors Excellence in Construction Awards. The project was also named ENR Southeast’s 2018 Best Projects for the Higher Education/Research category.