The new Admission and Financial Aid Center serves as an entryway for Grinnell College’s campus. Prior to initiating programming, Ayers Saint Gross engaged with the Grinnell community to identify the problem, craft a vision, and establish a theme to the visitation experience. The Center is a window to life as a Grinnell Student, relevant to student interests and illustrative of the college’s educational mission and vision. The building’s design respects the residential scale form and overall feel, while including modern compositional elements and materials that bind it to the institutional vernacular of the college. The site occupies a transitional space between campus precincts. Open space seamlessly integrates with the concepts of the landscape master plan and feel of the prairie, while providing a central location for the beginning of campus tours. A green roof collects rainwater and improves the air quality.