Top five campus locations to get some light therapy this spring.
- The Chazen Museum of Art offers two light-filled spaces for visitors. Afternoon sunlight streams through the southern-facing, floor-to-ceiling window of the 2nd floor reading nook known as Niche 11 that holds a scattering of student-designed seating as well as a slim collection of art volumes. With its plush and plentiful seating, high ceilings, massive window wall, and adjacent Peet’s Coffee, the Chazen lobby is another excellent place to catch a ray and a café au lait.
- Located at the intersection of Babcock and Linden Drive, the D.C. Smith Greenhouse provides both a publicly accessible conservatory and instructional greenhouses for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The conservatory has a few benches nestled amidst the dense tropical foliage and reflecting pool for those who want to bask in the high humidity and ample afternoon sunlight.
- The Botany Greenhouse on the B2 level of Birge Hall holds the most extensive collection of plant species on campus. While there isn’t really a place to sit, you can enjoy a sunny walk among plants drawn from a wide variety of ecosystems, including succulents, cactus, orchids, ferns, even carnivorous plants.
- The soaring Discovery Building has it all: abundant natural light, plentiful seating, interactive water wall, even a three-story, ficus-lined atrium and gardens full of Mesozoic Era plants. This combination research and education center utilizes the stunning flora, 360-degree windows, and water features to naturally regulate temperature and humidity levels, which makes the building an ideal space to sit and contemplate in any season.
- Not only does the Wisconsin Historical Society Library hold one of the largest and most comprehensive genealogy and history collections in the world, their reading room (located in the Wisconsin Historical Society) looks like a sunny version of Hogwarts. With two stories of windows, an interior balcony, and stained-glass ceiling, the library is a magical, yet underutilized, place on campus.
Honorable Mentions:
- Sun-drenched study spaces on the top floor of the (old) Educational Sciences and window seats on each floor of the (new) Chemistry buildings provide expansive views of campus and plenty of sun-drenched tables and chairs—at least during the early hours of the day before they fill up.
- Each floor of the Wisconsin Energy Institute features large windows that face the east that allow the morning sun to shine on clusters of comfortable chairs and low tables—perfect for meeting a friend for coffee.
- On the third floor of Moore Hall is a small, glassed-in atrium with counters and a handful of barstools that is popular with grad students.
- The Teacher Education building’s third-floor MERIT Library offers floor-to-ceiling windows and cozy beanbag chairs to melt into and enjoy the sunshine.