Barry University Thompson Hall
Miami Shores, FL
The Thompson Hall building, built in the late 1960s, initially served as a student dining hall, student union, cafeteria, and even housing dance studio space. Eventually those functions were relocated elsewhere on campus and the structure was converted to house less trafficked administrative offices, conference and training rooms, and a small food venue. But a recent gift from generous donors — John and Didi Salvaneschi — sparked rethinking to revitalize its original purpose.
SRS has had a decades-long connection with Barry University — one of the largest Catholic universities in the Southeast and one of the most ethnically diverse — creating new spaces on its 122-acre campus as well as transforming older structures to meet emerging needs.
The new vision defined by SRS embraces past design elements, acknowledging the school’s branding color scheme of red, black, and silver, but transmuted into a softer palette of off-white, pink, burgundy, and grays. A mixture of openness and intimacy is achieved by extensive glass walls and smaller divided enclaves with lounge seating and a restoration of terrazzo flooring. The end result is a modern, mid-century styled “living room” featuring new furniture, lighting, area rugs, and veiled partitions. The flexibility of space allows for individual and small group study activity and can be easily reconfigured for social events, movie nights, presentations, and the like.
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