FEATURE
campus design same vernacular of projecting porches to provide covered exterior dining spaces and protected entries. SITE PLANNING INSIDE OUT
Implemented site planning and landscape architecture created flexible spaces for easy connectivity to and from central buildings. This began by creating the popular Clemson Walk pedestrian spine, which now acts as a unifying space for the precinct. “The 20-ft.-wide walk features integrally colored concrete paving and is framed by an allée of trees and LED lighting elements,” said Gressette. “Pairs of benches are arranged along the walk, and the new housing, dining, and honors college are accessed from this path.” Clemson Walk opens into multiple courtyards, providing building access. The courtyards offer lawn, deciduous canopies of trees, and concrete paver units for activities. The south side of the main building was designed with sunny seating terraces connected by sloped walkways and steps. A lawn transitions the terraces to the sidewalk and an “entry terrace” connects through steps and a walkway at grade, leading to the main central dining terrace. The project team reshaped parts of the adjacent avenue to provide service and emergency-vehicle access, as well as emergency egress. The service road was planned to be ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible. All major utilities occupying the original site had to be relocated to the perimeter of the proposed building footprint. Steam lines, chilled-water lines, stormwater piping, domestic water lines, and electrical duct-bank infrastructure services were removed and rerouted. Among other LEED-focused materials for the core campus, curtainwall framing-system material was specified to meet a minimum solar heat-gain coefficient of 0.25 as a complete system, including the actual glazing units. “Guardian Industries, Auburn Hills, MI, SunGuard glass and EFCO, Monett, MO, Series 5600 curtainwall framing systems met the required energy model performance requirements to assist in achieving LEED Silver criteria,” said Smith. Wall panels were specified for their relative high R-value per-inch thickness. The team used Kingspan U.S., Atlanta, Designwall Insulated Metal panels due to their inherent ability as a thermal barrier and an impervious air and moisture barrier. In terms of these and numerous other installations geared toward LEED certification, design credits have been submitted and reviewed by the United States Green Building Council, Washington. Several initial credits have been awarded to date, and certification is pending Top. The new, high-end dining facility offers a variety of residential and retail dining venues, as well as seating areas separated by custom millwork-style seating and partition screens.
were placed on the main dining level for optimum views and to provide the interior with natural light.
Above. Textured carpet was specified to provide a more comfortable feeling and adapt to the change in seating types of the Clemson core campus
“Floor-to-floor glazing panels were utilized at open stairwells,
ing buildings envisioned to be removed for the final phase of the core-campus precinct redevelopment. Though all eyes are looking
and lake,” said Gressette. “Exterior porches on levels two and five on
ahead as the campus improvements are already setting precedents of
the east and west elevations provide students with exterior spaces to
quality architecture and engineering design that equate to student
enjoy the surrounding views of campus.”
successes and satisfaction. CA
Along the east elevation, slate panels were incorporated to accentuate the glazed porches and provide a backdrop to the projecting two-story retail dining space. Brick pilasters provide a rhythm to de-
For more photos of Clemson Univ.’s core campus project, go to:
fine the primary dining elevation. Corners of this element are full-
commercialarchitecturemagazine.com/1706clemson
All primary entrances of the residential and dining areas use the COMMERCI A L A RCHI T EC T URE
A demolition schedule has not yet been finalized for the remain-
studies, and lounges to provide long-range views to the mountains
height curtainwall with clear and glazing panels.
20
final review.
JUNE 2017
commercialarchitecturemagazine.com
