James Madison Hartman Hall Boardroom

Hartman Hall, home to the College of Business, sits with outstretched arms at the southwest entrance to James Madison University’s campus in Harrisonburg, VA. Faculty, staff, and visitors to the building are greeted by the breathtaking, three-story, oval-shaped atrium as they enter. Ascending the atrium’s wood paneled staircase to the 3rd floor, visitors discover the Hogan Boardroom which serves as both a meeting space and event venue for prestigious gatherings throughout the year. Despite the room’s high status, the plain walls and uninviting wood entry doors failed to match the luster of the surrounding building.

LDDBlueline™ was brought in to assess the Boardroom’s uses and to provide functional solutions that would elevate the room’s aesthetic and create a suitable space for such distinguished events. We embraced this task by providing meticulously detailed drawings that ensured the new wood paneling on the walls perfectly matched the wood paneling in the atrium, we created a hidden set of doors to keep the coat closet out of sight when not in use, and we revamped the Boardroom’s entry with a new set of glass doors which better emphasized the college’s focus on transparency. Lastly, we designed a display of glass shelves hanging in front of wooden slats that matched the existing boardroom table with gold mirror positioned to capture and spread the light from the large windows on the far side of the room.