Woolpert’s cutting-edge design of Capers Hall blends sustainability and technology with historic details
The new building houses the military college’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences and features a 250-seat performing arts auditorium, an art gallery, a mock courtroom, and sensitive intelligence and cybersecurity studios.
November 7, 2023 — The Citadel hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its newly constructed Capers Hall on Saturday, Sept. 9, following a two-year replacement project. Woolpert was architect of record on the project alongside design architect Creech & Associates Architects. Construction was led by Thompson Turner Construction. The three-story, 97,500-square-foot building replaced the college’s original Capers Hall, which opened in the 1950s. The building will continue to house classrooms and offices for multiple departments within the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. The Citadel, with its iconic campus dating from 1842 located in Charleston, South Carolina, offers a classic military college education for young men and women focused on leadership excellence and academic distinction.
Woolpert provided architecture, landscape architecture and interior design for the roughly $67 million project. Capers Hall classrooms feature modern educational upgrades and furniture, including smart technology devices, expanded infrastructure for customizable classrooms, and audio and visual computer aids. The building includes a 250-seat performing arts auditorium, an art gallery, a training Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, and a modern computer lab.
Capers Hall has been a bedrock of this institution for seven decades. It has seen generations of leaders walk through its doors, armed with the skills and knowledge to make a meaningful impact on our society. As we stand in this new building today, it’s not just bricks and mortar we see, but the embodiment of a strategic vision — Our Mighty Citadel.
The Citadel Provost Sally Selden, during the ribbon-cutting ceremony
Woolpert Vice President Andrew Pack said sustainability was a component in all phases of design and construction. Concrete, masonry and stucco were saved during demolition and then crushed, recycled and employed for the new building’s site foundation and parking area. A roof-mounted photovoltaic solar-panel system was installed to offset energy usage. The Citadel is pursuing LEED Silver certification.
Woolpert Project Manager David Welling said the design provides cadets and students with cutting-edge academic and arts facilities, while staying true to The Citadel’s iconic and historic campus.
The building’s exterior seamlessly blends with the rest of the campus’ Moorish architecture through its white stucco façade and incorporation of the building’s original iron-frame light fixtures. The exterior is beautiful, but the technology and interior details within are what truly make this new building so special. We are really looking forward to seeing how the cadets and faculty make use of their new spaces.
David Welling
Find out more about the Capers Hall project from The Citadel. Learn more about Woolpert services on the firm’s website. Founded in 1911 in Dayton, Ohio, Woolpert is a premier architecture, engineering, geospatial (AEG), and strategic consulting firm.