Completed this fall, the D.S. Chen Health and Wellness Center fulfills the function of both outpatient clinic and inpatient infirmary in a new, stand-alone building and provides other student wellness resources including counseling and nutrition guidance, classrooms and a quiet room. The building is sited on the southern edge of campus, providing both privacy for students accessing their health needs and a physical edge to this southern cluster of buildings which include the dining hall and existing dorms. Large windows provide natural light and views outdoors throughout the corridors and rooms, with strategically placed wood screening to filter light and provide a sense of privacy. The 3-story building also takes advantage of the hillside site to provide a lower-level space for campus facilities including a central boiler and chiller plant serving adjacent dormitories. The building's white clapboard, pitched roof façade blends in with the colonial character of its historic Deerfield context viewed from Main street. The new building is a result of a previous ARC study that evaluated multiple options to update Deerfield Academy’s health center and separate their dormitory program.

Robert Benson Photography