Gilder Center
The Gilder Center is an innovative, interactive learning space where you’ll learn through creativity and collaboration.
Home to the math and science departments, the $30 million, 42,000-square-foot Gilder Center opened in 2021. Designed with sustainability in mind, Gilder honors NMH’s rich architectural history while providing a Silicon Valley-like learning environment. It was named in honor of the late Richard Gilder ’50, who, with his wife, Lois Chiles, donated the lead gifts for the project.The Gilder Center’s flexible, multi-use spaces— including classrooms, labs, and “collaboration zones” — allow lots of ways to learn: one-on-one instruction, small-group projects, larger class activities.
A makerspace — the Guild Fabrication Laboratory, also known as the Fab Lab — which was named for longtime NMH trustee Peter Guild ’64, provides a perfect spot for imagining, designing, and fabricating projects. Students have access to a range of exciting technology, from an augmented-reality interactive sandbox to hand-held thermal-imaging cameras. And at the heart of the Gilder Center is the Hub, an expansive, glass-walled lobby that’s a popular spot for students to gather and connect.
The “Greenest” Building
on Campus
Every decision in the development of the new Gilder Center was made with sustainability in mind — from the use of local materials to a design that employs lots of natural light. Designed to support NMH's goal of reducing its carbon footprint, Gilder meets the sustainability standards of the 2030 Challenge, a global initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Some key features:
- Cross-laminated timber on the roof and decking, which naturally sequesters carbon and takes significantly less energy to produce than steel or concrete
- The slate and granite on Gilder’s exterior, sourced from Vermont and New Hampshire
- 10,000 square feet of bird-friendly glass, which maximizes natural light — and the beautiful local view
- LED lighting and high-efficiency toilets throughout the space
- Heating provided by the campus steam system, which is powered by biofuels and designed to adapt to geothermal in the future
- A real-time dashboard in the Hub that tracks the building’s energy and water use and reports from a campus weather station and an air-quality sensor
- Outdoor learning spaces, including a rainwater management garden and pollinator houses and gardens