Something big is happening in the heart of the Gallaudet campus. An exciting renovation is transforming 75,000 square feet of space into the new student-centered Research and Innovation Hub (RIH). The hub will enhance Gallaudet’s world-leading research programs on campus, online, and around the world.
The renovation is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2027. The effort is led by Gallaudet’s Campus Design & Planning team, who use DeafSpace principles to promote the university’s dynamic bilingual community and unique culture.
A community effort
The RIH renovation is a massive undertaking, and the CDP team isn’t working alone. They’ve partnered with a Steering Committee made up of many different campus stakeholders. The two groups worked together to develop the vision for the project.
To design the building itself, Gallaudet contracted with MTFA Architecture. The reputable Virginia firm has worked with other universities in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.
The CDP Team has collaborated with MTFA to ensure that Gallaudet’s DeafSpace principles guide the design. The final space will include open sightlines and an abundance of natural light.
Says CDP Director Christopher Hoffmann, “It is important for us to lead this project through the lens of our own culture and language while partnering with outside designers to preserve the authenticity of our spaces. This collaboration will help educate and influence those outside our community about how our culture, language, and visual connection shape our primary lived experience.”
The vision
RIH will be the world’s largest research hub on signed languages and the lived experiences of people who are deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing.
The new hub will replace the former Merrill Learning Center (MLC). The previous MLC building consisted of two above-ground levels and a large basement. The basement space will be renovated and redesigned to better fit the current needs of the campus community. The top two levels will be removed and replaced with a jewel-like glazed structure.
The new top level will open up sightlines across the campus mall. As students leave Hall Memorial Building in the north, they’ll be able to see the iconic Tower Clock of Chapel Hall in the south. The top level will also host a cafe and lobby space for students, faculty, and staff to gather.
Around the top level will be a lush new landscape with greenery and foliage. Walkways will be framed with plants native to the D.C. area. Shaded structures and outdoor seating will encourage students, faculty, and staff to connect outdoors.
“People are what make a place come alive,” says University Architect Richard Dougherty. “Our students are living vessels who connect our past with our future in this one-of-a-kind space at the heart of Gallaudet’s historic campus. The Research and Innovation Hub creates an inviting atmosphere that blends productivity with community.”
Sustainability is a priority for the renovation. Many energy-efficiency and carbon minimization measures will be implemented during construction.
Centering students
The Research and Innovation Hub will center the student experience and promote student success. The goal is to create an inviting atmosphere that blends productivity with community collaboration.
In the basement space, dedicated research centers will offer students a place to dive deep into their academic projects, while collaboration spaces will encourage group work and social interaction. These areas are designed to foster both independent study and collective learning.
A student forum will provide a space for sharing ideas, presenting research, and engaging in discussions. Study pods will be scattered throughout, offering quiet, focused areas for reflection and study. There will also be dedicated spaces for video conferencing and recording, to meet the needs of modern students and fulfill Gallaudet’s bilingual mission.
B111, one of the most popular large classrooms on campus, sits in the center of the RIH basement. The room will receive an overhaul that integrates cutting-edge technology, allowing for a seamless connection between in-person and remote students.
A hub for research and creativity
RIH is designed to be a place of scholarship, history, and creativity. The Gallaudet Archives and Schuchman Deaf Documentary Center will be stationed in the lower level. Each department will have expanded, modernized spaces that increase accessibility for the campus community and the public.
Gallaudet’s Office of Research and Innovation will also have research centers and labs housed in the RIH basement. The Artificial Intelligence, Accessibility and Sign Language Center (AIASL), Technology Access Program (TAP), and Motion Light Lab (ML2) will have dedicated research space to advance their work. The space will include rooms focused on artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality projects.
Additional collaborative labs and innovation spaces that support the ASL AI initiative will also be included in the renovation. Strategic Research Officer and RIH Steering Committee member Poorna Kushalnagar looks forward to moving in. “The new research space will create opportunities for interdisciplinary partnership, shared experimentation, and technology transfer,” says Kushalnagar. “It is where a sketch on a whiteboard becomes a patented tool in someone’s hands.”
The basement will also house a large film studio behind the B111 classroom. The studio will be a creative space for Gallaudet’s University Communications team, Schuchman Documentary Center, and other departments, staff, and students with dedicated filming needs.
MLC History
Why is there an underground learning center in the middle of Gallaudet’s campus? In the 1970s, the university was growing and needed more space. Just like today, the construction process was guided by a Steering Committee, led by longtime faculty member David McGuiness.
When an architect suggested building the learning center in the middle of the mall, the campus community resisted at first. Eventually, they realized it was the ideal place for a campus hub.
Construction broke ground in October 1978 and the new Learning Center opened in January 1981. Most of the new structure was built underground to minimize the interruption to campus sightlines. In 1985, it was christened the Merrill Learning Center in honor of Gallaudet’s fourth president, Edward C. Merrill, Jr.
From demolition to renovation
MLC served the Gallaudet community well for decades. Over the years, wear and tear to the plumbing, electrical grid, and roof took its toll. The building was closed in 2019.
In late 2025, the construction team completed hazard mitigation work. Then, they cleared out the insides, including carpet, furniture, electrical systems, and HVAC equipment. Many walls have been removed throughout the basement to make the space more open. The distinctive zig-zag staircase in the center of the structure has been removed and will be replaced with wider, more accessible stairways.
Demolition is expected to finish in early summer. The construction team is using remote-controlled robots to dismantle the top two levels of MLC piece-by-piece. Once the structure is ready, steel struts will be installed on the first floor for reinforcement. New windows and skylights will be installed to increase the natural light in the basement.
Brand new electrical, HVAC, and plumbing will modernize the infrastructure that keeps RIH running. The upgrade will include energy-efficient systems and improved Wi-Fi connectivity throughout. Integrated media equipment will allow for collaboration, video conferencing, and personal computing needs.
A more vibrant campus
RIH is scheduled to open in the fall of 2027. The transformation is only the first step in a multi-year campus re-imagining. There are several ongoing construction projects that will transform Gallaudet’s campus into a more vibrant place for students, faculty, and staff.
The CDP team is incorporating each project into their next 10-year Campus Plan. Recently, they hosted stakeholder engagement sessions with students and the campus community. As always, the Gallaudet community is at the heart of their work.
“We want to create a vibrant campus experience in which scholarship and collegiality can flourish through face-to-face communication,” says Dougherty. “After all, it is the people, not the buildings, that make the identity of a place.”
Keep up to date on the latest with RIH! Follow @deafspacedesign on Instagram.
Want to see the demolition and construction for yourself? Visit this link to view live images, courtesy of Gilbane.
