One of the principal criteria for the design of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs concerned its architectural image. The president of Princeton University asked for a building that would stimulate students of government to higher aspirations. This was translated to mean the building should have a monumentality not commonly found in university buildings.

With this in mind, an appropriate site was created by relocating the existing Woodrow Wilson Building. This created space for an open plaza with a pool and fountains which could provide a proper setting for the new building, a much-needed amenity for that part of the campus, and an improved relationship between the new and existing buildings.

The building itself consists of a library, a bowl-shaped lecture theater, and a dining room, all of which require high spaces and direct public access. They are located on the main floor and are accessible from the plaza. Private administrarive offices are located on one upper floor which spans the entire 90-ft (27-m) width of the building between the tall arcade of columns around its perimeter. This provides flexibility and large uninterrupted spaces enclosed by non-structural partitions for the functions on the main floor below.