The Academy: Celebrating the work of John Simpson at the Walsh Family Hall, University of Notre Dame, Indiana.

THE ACADEMY. Classical architecture and education in the Walsh Family Hall at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. Celebrating the work of John Simpson.

The Walsh Family Hall is the new home of the School of Architecture of the University of Notre-Dame - one of the very few architectural schools in the world to offer courses in Classicism.  When the Walsh family underwrote the construction of new school buildings in 2013, it was natural that a Classical architect should be commissioned.  After an international competition, the choice fell on London-based John Simpson Architects.  Simpson’s previous works include the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace, renovations to Kensington Palace, the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre in Leicestershire and the recent remodelling of the Royal College of Music. This handsomely illustrated book celebrates an important contribution to the architecture of academe.

Simpson’s Notre Dame buildings occupy a key site at the gateway to the campus.  The School of Architecture announces itself with a lighthouse-like tower, which forms a literal beacon of learning.  Inspiration was taken from Ancient building types: the principal rooms give off a spinal corridor in the manner of a Greek stoa or market building.  A hall of casts, whose form is derived from the planning of a temple in Asia Minor, recalls the teaching principles of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, famous for the teaching of Classical architecture in the late nineteenth century (not least to Americans).  Across the top of the building are large studio spaces, whose cheaper construction evokes the aesthetic of a converted industrial building.

Popular with students, the Walsh Family Hall stands as a model for other education buildings across the world.

Contents: Preface; The Walsh Family Hall - Introduction, Context, Competition Evolution; The Finished Building; The Student Experience; The Ecole des Beaux-Arts; The Architecture of Education - Eton College, Lady Margaret Hall, Gonville & Caius, Peterhouse, The Defence & National Rehabilitation Centre, The Royal College of Music; Acknowledgements; Credits; Colophon.

Author Biography: Matthew & Joyce Walsh are long-time members of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture's Advisory Council providing leadership and counsel to the School for over 23 years. Matthew is co-chairman of The Walsh Group. Clive Aslet is an architectural historian, writer and editor living in London and Ramsgate. Michael Lykoudis is dean emeritus and professor of architecture at the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture. John Simpson is principle of John Simpson Architects and team elect and professor at the University of Buckingham School of Architecture.