A great student life building is a unique symbol of the values, aspirations, culture, history, and traditions of the university, both in philosophy and in form. Creating a lasting beacon of institutional values can be an important tool in student recruitment and retention, a bricks-and-mortar representation of how an institution treats and regards its students. The best and most active student life facilities offer a window, figuratively and literally, into the range of services, programs, accomplishments, and activities available campus wide.
At Perkins&Will, we are re-imagining student union facilities for the post-email generation that has never written in cursive, has always “Instagrammed,” and considers the new status symbol to be not what they own, but what they are smart enough not to own. Because today’s students were weaned on the search capabilities of Google, the immediate delivery of Amazon, and the ambience and service model of Starbucks, today’s generation comes to higher education with unprecedented expectations.
Finding common ground in the ‘space between’
Student unions are key in meeting these expectations. They provide a unique sense of community that is comfortable, flexible, welcoming, and inviting – and are the one place on campus where everyone wants to see and be seen. The student union is the only place on campus that is not controlled or owned by a dean, a college, or a school – it’s controlled by the students and is literally the common ground of the institution. With education happening everywhere on campus, the future of student life lies in the intentionalizing of this historically unprogrammed and unstructured ‘space between’ the formal learning environments on campus. A good student union accommodates the planned programs and activities that take place within it; a great student union also effortlessly addresses unplanned events, both inside and outside, maximizing the potential for “planned serendipity:” the unchoreographed interactions so fundamental to a holistic educational experience.
Insightful design creates a representational symbol of a university’s “institutional DNA.” It creates much more than just another building on campus; it establishes a living heart of campus life that will anchor the education of students for generations to come.
Fairbanks, Alaska
Client: Fairbanks, Alaska
Size: 50,000 square feet (4,645 square meters)
Completion Date: 2014
Sustainability: 2030 Challenge Compliant Awards:
Energy in Design, AIA Seattle Honors, 2017, Facility Design Award of Excellence, Association of College Unions International (ACUI) , 2016
Award of Citation, AIA Alaska Design Awards, 2016
Merit Award, Excellence in Architecture Building
Renovation, Society for College and University Planning (SCUP), 2015
Color in Architecture, Long List Award, World Architecture News, 2015
Partners: National Development Council
― WHAT IT IS
The first true P3 student center project in the U.S. and first true P3 project for the State of Alaska Higher Ed System. .
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The academic year occurs during the darkest and coldest part of year in Fairbanks. The Wood Center uses the influence of color and light on sensory perceptions to beckon students – just like the Northern Lights.
Lexington, Kentucky
Client: University of Kentucky
Size: 378,000 square feet (35,117 square meters)
new: 278,000 square feet
renovated: 100,000 square feet
Completion Date: 2018
Sustainability: LEED Silver ®
Awards:
Facility Design Award of Excellence, Association of College Unions International (ACUI) , 2019
Partners: Omni Architects
― WHAT IT IS
A revitalization of the original 1938 Student Center into stateof-the-art student organization and meeting space and transformation of the 1924 Alumni Gym into a dynamic fitness and recreation center.
University of Kentucky, Gatton Student Center
Forming a connecting link between downtown Lexington and the campus, the multi-level activity hub creates an indoor extension of the outdoor plaza.
Cleveland, Ohio
Client: Case Western Reserve University
Size: 89,000 square feet (8,268 square meters)
Completion Date: 2014
Sustainability: LEED Gold ®
Awards:
Award of Excellence , AIA NOVA Design Award, 2017
Design Excellence - Distinguished Building, American Institute of Architects, Chicago Chapter, 2016
First Prize, Education Buildings, ArchMarathon Awards , 2016
Interior Honor Award, American Institute of Architects, Chicago Chapter, 2015
Merit Award, American Institute of Architects, Washington DC Chapter, 2015
Award of Excellence, American Institute of Architects, Georgia, 2015
Shortlist - Education Category, World Architecture Festival, 2015
Design Citation, American School & University
Architectural Portfolio, 2015
Partners: CBLH Design
― WHAT IT IS
The University Center connects Case Western’s dual historical campuses, and is the new hub for campus life.
Fort Collins, Colorado
Client: Colorado State University
Size: 230,000 square feet (21,368 square meters)
Completion Date: 2014
Sustainability: LEED Silver ®
Awards:
b.o.b Forum Design Award for Education & Research, IIDA Georgia, 2016
Facility Design Award of Excellence,Association of College Unions International (ACUI), 2015
Partners: Aller Lingle Massey
― WHAT IT IS One of the most active and inclusive student centers in the country.
The expansion of this 1962 mid-century building respects its architectural heritage while integrating new iconic features.
Colorado State University, Lory Student Center Revitalization
Waltham, Massachusetts
Client: Bentley University
Size: 28,400 gross square feet
Completion Date: 2015
The concept for the structure and organization of the project was to maintain the playful series of forms in the existing building, while shifting the configuration from roofscape to plan form.
― WHAT IT IS
A blend of new construction and renovation creating a new home for student life on campus.
As a business school, Group Study spaces are important to Bentley’s student culture, and are designed with an interior character befitting today’s workplace environment.
― WHAT MAKES IT COOL
A renovation and expansion that integrates deep brand quality honoring Bentley’s unique location and history.
Bentley University, Student Center
San José, California
Client: San José State University
Size: 242,700 square feet (22,548 square meters)
new: 110,400 square feet
renovated: 132,300 square feet
Completion Date: 2017
Sustainability: LEED Gold ®
The ‘cool’ roof makes this building literally cool – as well as comfortable and efficient. The roof was designed to reflect sunlight and to absorb minimal heat – improving indoor comfort while reducing its energy bill.
San José State University, Student Union Expansion and Renovation
Denton, Texas
Client: University of North Texas
Size: 313,000 square feet (29,079 square meters)
new: 112,700 square feet (new)
renovated: 180,000 square feet (renovation)
Completion Date: 2016
Sustainability: LEED Registered
Awards:
Facility Design Award of Excellence, Association of College Unions International (ACUI), 2017
Gold Design Award, American Society of Interior
Designers (ASID), May 2016
Best of the Year in Brand and Graphic Design, Interior Design Magazine, December 2016
― WHAT IT IS
The renovation and expansion is a powerful transformation of a “concrete bunker” into a welcoming beacon of student life.
The union features UNT branded elements throughout that celebrate the university’s history, alumni, heritage, and artifacts.
Lowell, Massachusetts
Client: Lowell, Massachusetts
Size: 230,000 square feet (21,368 square meters)
Completion Date: 2014
Sustainability: LEED Silver ®
Awards:
People’s Choice Award, IFMA Awards, 2015
University of Massachusetts Lowell, University Crossing
― WHAT MAKES IT COOL
The lantern is a sculptural reinterpretation of the looms in the old textile mills that once powered the city of Lowell.
Cheney, Washington
Client: Eastern Washington University
Size: 123,000 square feet (11,427 square meters)
Completion Date: 2018
Sustainability: LEED Certified
Awards: Citation Award, AIA Washington Council
Citation Award, 2019
Citation Award, Boston Society of Architects, Educational Facilities, 2019
Citation Award , AIA New England Design Award, 2020
― WHAT IT IS
Uniting two existing eras of the union, the new “seam” creates a main street connecting the campus mall to the south with the flow of traffic from transit, athletics, and residential halls to the north.
Eastern Washington University, Pence Union Building Renovation
― WHAT MAKES IT COOL
Transparency, visibility, and daylit spaces make the new union a welcoming place to eat, study, and gather.
Burnaby, British Columbia
Client: Simon Fraser University
Size: 10,280 square metres (110,653 square feet)
Completion Date: 2021
― WHAT IT IS
A ‘home away from home’ providing a fresh and welcoming focal point to student life with new amenities that support non-academic activities including lounge, social, group study, dining, and club spaces.
A series of terraces create an abundance of daylight and views into generous interior spaces interconnected by a social stair.
Greenville, North Carolina
Client: East Carolina University
Size: 214,000 square feet (19,881 square meters)
Completion Date: 2019
Sustainability: LEED Registered ®
Partners: Stewart
― WHAT IT IS
This multipurpose student center is a venue for culture, education, arts, recreation, and hospitality.
East Carolina University, Main Campus Student Center
― WHAT MAKES IT COOL
Students participated in the planning processes and programming charrettes which was key to the creative use options and the right mix of spaces that are seen today.
Seattle, Washington
Client: University of Washington
Size: 276,500 square feet (25,688 square meters)
Completion Date: 2012
Sustainability: LEED Gold ®
Awards:
Facility Design Award of Excellence, Association of College Unions International, 2014
Civic Design Awards, Honor Award, American Institute of Architects (AIA)Washington Council, 2013
Award of Excellence, The Architectural Woodwork Institute, 2013
― WHAT IT IS
The HUB renovation and expansion knits together three generations of buildings to create a single, unified center for the entire University community.
University of Washington, Husky Union Building
― WHAT MAKES IT COOL Students were involved from the beginning and saw this as an opportunity to pass on a legacy of environmental stewardship to future generations of students.
That’s why clients and communities on nearly every continent partner with us to design healthy, happy places in which to live, learn, work, play, and heal. We’re passionate about human-centered design, and committed to creating a positive impact in people’s lives through sustainability, resilience, well-being, diversity, inclusion, and research. In fact, Fast Company named us one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies in Architecture. Our global team of over 2,700 creatives and critical thinkers provides integrated services in architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, and more. Our partners include Danish architects Schmidt Hammer Lassen; retail strategy and design consultancy Portland; sustainable transportation planning consultancy Nelson\Nygaard; and luxury hospitality design firm Pierre-Yves Rochon (PYR).
For more information, contact: HigherEducation@perkinswill.com