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Dittmann Center honored for distinction in architecture

By Tom Vogel
January 3, 2006

Earlier this month the Dittmann Center for Art and Dance at St. Olaf College was acknowledged by the American Institute of Architects in Minnesota for distinction in architecture. The center, which was remodeled in 2001, received the society's Honor Award in recognition of architectural excellence.

Dittmann art show
St. Olaf students have plenty of gallery space to showcase their work, as in this view of the senior art show last spring.
Also honored during the Dec. 2 award ceremony was St. Olaf Alumnus Mark Larson '88, principal of Rehkamp Larson Architects, Inc., in Minneapolis. Larson, who also worked on the Dittmann Center design, was the recipient of the AIA's Young Architect Award that is given to exceptional architects in the early stages of their careers.

The Minneapolis firm Hammel, Green and Abrahamson was selected to plan and design the Dittmann Center renovation, with Loren Ahles as the lead designer. The complex process of renovating what was formerly the college's student union, built in 1960, had to consider how to bring the facilities for art and dance into the modern era, weighing practicality, safety and aesthetics. As a result, the building was gutted -- leaving only the pillars and exterior frame -- and was reconfigured to accommodate facilities for both departments as well as state-of-the-art ventilation and safety systems.

"It's probably one of the healthiest arts buildings in the country," says Associate Professor of Art/Art History Mary Griep. The building design allows for the heavy use of solvents and particle-producing materials, and is accordingly equipped with new ventilation hoses (many of which are mobile and detachable) in workspaces prone to fumes and debris. Storage units for chemicals, acids and paints, which may cause respiratory problems, were significantly improved as well.

Christie Hawkins, technical supervisor art/art history, says the Dittmann Center was designed with the topics of "safe art-making, OSHA standards and environmental responsibility at the forefront." During the design phase of the building, industrial hygienist Monona Rossol was consulted on safety issues. Rossol then followed up with art safety training after the facility's completion. As a result, says Hawkins, "the art department now operates under its own environmental, health and safety plan that regulates material use and disposal procedures, dictates record keeping requirements and states the limitations of the facility."

In addition to its safety features, the Dittmann Center also was created to house faculty offices, several instructional studios and classrooms for art and dance, a tiered classroom designed for lectures and media presentations, the college's art history image collection, a student gallery and the St. Olaf art museum (formerly Steensland Gallery), now in a more visible locale between Buntrock Commons and the Office of Admissions. Other features included or expanded upon were an outdoor terrace, a kiln room (formerly where the St. Olaf bakery's ovens were located) and the Mac Gimse foundry for metal casting and fabrication, an exceptional feature in a liberal arts school. The overall design takes into consideration the natural lighting from the building's north side and, with the use of several windows of varying size, presents a panoramic view of the scenic campus.

Griep says that the building is remarkable for its combination of the practical elements of physical and environmental safely with the visual. "It's elegant without being overtly fancy," she says. "It's a very thoughtful re-use of the original space."

The center is named after Professor Emeritus Reidar Dittmann '47, professor of art and Norwegian who retired in 1993.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.