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When ���㽶��Ƶ set out to renovate and expand the , it explored the world’s most renowned design firms to work on the project for one of the most prominent buildings on campus.

Originally designed by Wallace Harrison, the architect of Lincoln Center for the Arts, the Hop had opened in 1962 and was distinctive not just for its modern design along the ���㽶��Ƶ Green, but for uniting the arts under a single roof. 

After a rigorous selection process, Snøhetta was chosen for the Hop redesign, which includes the new Daryl and Steven Roth Wing. Founding partner Craig Dykers brought remarkable experience to the project, having redesigned the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt at just 28, as well as the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet in Oslo and the National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion in New York City. 

With the Hop grand opening set for Oct. 16-19, we sat down with Dykers to talk about how nature can inspire design, the art of blending old and new, and the “unsung hero” of architecture.

What do you think set Snøhetta apart in the selection process?

When we came here as one of the shortlisted firms, we had already been visiting the college, town, and surrounding landscape, so we felt well prepared. You can never fully understand a place if you’re not from there. You have to build up a series of impressions.

We understood how the building should relate to many types of people, and we didn’t present a design specifically, but a series of models that could be rearranged, moving things around to see how they might work in the future. This strategic thinking was important to the selection committee.

How do you hope the new Hop will impact the campus?

When we began this project, we knew that it would have an effect on spaces and people well beyond the property line. In fact, the property line was invisible to us. To us, it was a habitat of a wonderful education system here at ���㽶��Ƶ that is very liberal and not defined by formal conditions. So we hope that the new Hop will be like a lantern. At night, it’ll glow onto the surroundings, more than any of the other buildings that are beautiful but more insular. This one will open itself to the surroundings, and I think that will change the way people see their campus.

What was the central design philosophy behind the project?

Well, music, and the arts in general, are not entirely natural to the general population. You have to be invited in and appreciate it and learn about it over time. So, we wanted people to come through the door and feel at home immediately. Whether they understand the music or not, they at least come to a calm place where they can look at it with a fresh perspective, and that might build a community.

And what elements helped create that ‘at home’ feeling?

There’s no building like this on campus or anywhere near. So in that way, it’s unfamiliar. But the shapes—for example, the shapes of the Jack 1953 and Mac 2011 Morris Recital Hall windows—feel that they have come from history, and they frame the Baker Library tower in a way that will be exciting to people to see the old and the new coming together.

We also use a great deal of daylight and access to fresh air, and daylight helps people feel calm, especially when it gets dark here in the winter.

And finally, acoustics: the unsung hero of architecture. If you get the acoustics right, people feel really good and they don’t know why, because it’s surrounding you. And so you’ll come into the Roth Forum or the Top of the Hop, even if they’re crowded, and the acoustics are very carefully designed to give you a little bit of bass when you speak, so you don’t overwhelm your neighbors. 

The Hop is a multidisciplinary art center as well. Were there any challenges that came with that?

The building is filled with many uses that most people aren’t aware of: spaces to perform, to display works of fine art, to make things, shops, studios, a few classrooms. We didn’t want to divide the student body and the performance venues, so we first provided views into all of these facilities. As you move through the building, you’re always going to be aware of different things happening. If you’re a creative person, I think that’s going to make you excited.

You talked a little bit about the original Hop arches being reflected in the Morris Recital Hall windows. Are there other aspects of the historic design that you tried to recreate?

In the Top of the Hop, for example, we really loved the fireplace design that Wallace Harrison had already created. We loved the terrace (now the Bildner Family Terrace), which we made more accessible, and we removed the carpet that had been put in, but rather interestingly, we left the bizarre mechanical ventilation system in the ceiling, which many people don’t understand. We loved this iconic halo of an air vent. We cleaned it up and made it work better. I think people who come back will remember that. We also designed the furniture in that space to mimic it.

So much about this project has to do with preservation rather than starting over. Was that challenging?

For us, it’s a great opportunity to be given the chance to save buildings. It wasn’t that long ago where sensibilities were very different and the first choice would be knock everything down and build something new. Happily, that’s not the case anymore.

Many things were built before accessibility and fire codes were established. So incorporating all of those things and finding space for them in a building that didn’t have them was an interesting challenge. But honestly, it’s a delight to work with a great building like this.

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Snøhetta founding partner Craig Dykers says the old and new elements of the Hopkins Center of the Arts, such as the Daryl and Steven Roth Wing, are “dancing in a group together.” (Photo by Media Production Group)

What are your favorite spots in the new Hop?

I would say, being outside, and looking up at this amazingly odd filigree of window mullions in the recital hall and the large plaza in front of the Hop and seeing the two together, the old and the new and how they belong together. They’re dance partners. They’re not doing the same thing, otherwise they’d step on each other’s feet, but they’re dancing in a group together.

Can you tell us a little bit about the Hop Plaza?

We were inspired by the White Mountains and the Green Mountains, so there’s geology on that plaza. It’s not simply a surface you walk across; you’ll see large boulders that were brought here from nearby. And we brought a little bit of nature into the campus, since people here enjoy going out into the wilderness. The other is that you can gather with informal events, concerts outside, or meetings. It’s a wall-less performance space.

What kind of performance or experience would you like to see at the Hop?

Well, there’s a few things I’m interested in seeing. The Roth Forum is also made for impromptu or informal performances. With people walking by, you don’t have to be quiet, people will just play or act in the middle of everything. I’m looking forward to seeing that.

And then, of course, the Daryl Roth Studio Theater is rather exceptional, and I think at some point in the near future, somebody’s going to do something there that is so far out of our imagination, even we couldn’t figure that out. And then finally, the Hodgson Family Dance Studio is the first dedicated dance space. I’m a big dance fan.

How did it feel to walk through the building now that everything is nearly complete?

It’s definitely feeling holistic. It is very easy for a project like this to feel chopped if you focus on different areas separately, and then after a while it feels like a strange soup that doesn’t make any sense. Here everything holds together, even though there are different components: historical, new, and in between.

How do you want the different groups to feel in the space?

Many people use the space: young people who are just arriving, but also alumni, former students, and teachers. So we wanted to find a balance. We wanted everyone to feel that this was a home for them, no matter what their background was. So the building is somewhat of a blank canvas. It’s expressionist, but it’s not overpowering. You can draw your own conclusions as to what things mean or how they’re to be used. And I hope the younger people will come here and say, this is an amazing place, I just want to be here. And I think the older staff and alumni will feel that it’s a nice progression of life for the Hop.

Your firm has a huge portfolio. Was there a previous project that has inspired or informed any of the decisions you made here?

Each project had a different population, place, context, and landscape, so transferring things is neither easy nor a good idea. However, we designed many theaters and we understand acoustics, and we understand flow of people in between or during shows. We understand light and the value of light. All of those professional considerations can came in to being in this project. The National Opera in Oslo is perhaps our largest and most well-known theater. And that takes on some similar characteristics: using wood to create a comfortable feeling so that you can enjoy the music without feeling sort of harassed by the architecture. 

What excited you most about the opportunity to work on the Hop project?

Working with culture and the performing arts is something we’ve always been interested at Snøhetta, and we were greatly inspired by Wallace Harrison, the architect of the original Hop. When we met ���㽶��Ƶ alumni, they often said how much fun they had at the Hop during their time in school. So we wanted to see how we could expand on the comfort and excitement that people had with the original building and transfer that to the new building.