Can a change in the built environment really make people nicer?

Columbia College – Missouri Hall

The staff of Columbia College’s Missouri Hall would say “yes!”  Simon Oswald Architecture aided Columbia College in developing, designing and implementing a “One Stop Shop” front-end to its more confidential student service administration offices to better serve students and help staff be more productive. A highlight of the transformation of the aging Missouri Hall into a LEED Silver certified building is the removal of a portion of the 3rd floor, creating a soaring two story space, serving as the building’s modern focal point, to enhance connections between floors and departments, students and staff.

The result was a transformation whose impact was felt so profoundly that during its 2007 dedication ceremony, people were buzzing about how much “happier” and “nicer” the staff, the students, and all the visitors to the building seemed.

Project Details