UC EAST Expanding the University Center
University Center East
is the culmination of planning and construction that began in 2008–2009, but its origins are rooted in the history of USI and the surrounding region.
T
he new facility adds badly needed space to the central campus for student organizations, two new eateries, student commons areas and lounges (including the Fireside Lounge and Heritage Lounge), meeting and conference facilities, and office space for the Dean of Students, Student Development Programs, Multicultural Center, International Programs and Services, Center for Academic Creativity, and Outreach and Engagement. Among the student organizations housed in the new space are the Student Government Association, Activities Planning Board, Greek Life, and The Shield student newspaper. The facility is distinguished by extensive use of local building materials, applied in many cases in groundbreaking new ways (see “Ode to Indiana” on next page). The project also creates an architecturally distinctive centerpiece in the 97-foot-tall conical tower. In its interior, the tower houses additional seating for dining on the ground level. On its second level, with a dramatic ceiling open to the top of the structure, is the Traditions Lounge honoring USI’s alumni. The original University Center (now UC West) was completed in 1974 and expanded in 1996. It was joined on its second level to the original USI library, which opened in 1971. With the new David L. Rice Library dedicated in 2006, the former library has now been repurposed, with many additions, as part of UC East. Groundbreaking took place in April 2009, with a topping-off ceremony in December of that same year. UC East brings the combined University Center to 173,904 square feet, including 59,720 of reconstructed old library and 20,815 of a new multi-story link and tower construction. The project cost totalled $18.6 million. “As the University’s presence constantly expands beyond our regional beginnings to statewide and national stature, this building will remind us of where we came from. Its creativity, energy, and innovation will be a built reminder of what it will take to move us forward.” — Mark Rozewski, USI Vice President for Finance and Administration
University of Southern Indiana
Ode to Indiana: A Material Tribute to Our Region The architectural design of the University Center expansion was carefully conceived to repurpose, in unusual and serendipitous ways, components and materials that are manufactured in or indigenous to Southwestern Indiana—or are of historical significance to the University and the community. The facility is uniquely at home in Evansville and the region, firmly rooted in the culture, commerce, and natural traits of its surroundings. The building is intended to provide not only new space for the rapidly growing University, but also to celebrate its Evansville and Southwestern Indiana roots in a permanent way.
Orr Iron Arch The Orr Iron Arch was the main entrance to the 1912 Orr Iron Company headquarters at Fulton Avenue and the Lloyd Expressway. Samuel Orr founded the company in 1885 and was succeeded by his son Robert D. Orr, who was governor of Indiana from 1981 to 1989 and signed the legislation that created the University of Southern Indiana in 1985. The Orr Iron Arch was salvaged by USI and the state highway department when the Orr Iron Company building was demolished in 2008. New limestone blocks, identical to the originals, were added at the jambs, increasing the height of the arch. Today the Orr Iron Arch serves as a portal into the central two-story student lounge.
Photo courtesy of Willard Library Archives
Limestone Quarry Blocks B.G. Hoadley Quarries typically removes limestone from its Bloomington quarry in four-foot by four-foot by eight-foot blocks. The outside faces of the blocks are rough and irregular, and are usually discarded. About 28 tons of this material was cut into 2 Âź-inch high pieces of varying length. The quarry surface of these limestone pieces forms the walls of the 97-foottall conical campus tower.
Clay Pipe For 104 years, the Can Clay Corporation of Cannelton, Indiana, has produced clay for underground utility and sewer piping. It is typically fired at 2,000 degrees over the course of seven days. Twelve- and 14-foot lengths of the 21-inch diameter CanOlok vitrified clay pipe are erected vertically to enclose 18 new structural steel columns.
A-Blocks The Can Clay Corporation manufactures A-blocks to secure the clay pipes in the kilns during the firing process. Twelve thousand standard A-blocks were cut nine inches tall to form the cylindrical walls enclosing the fireside and student lounges. This is the first application of A-blocks as a building material.
UNIVERSITY CENTER EXPANSION
Chair Legs The Jasper Chair Company has manufactured wooden chairs from their own woodland since 1921. Twelve hundred steam-bent chair legs have been assembled and stained to form rosettes suspended from the ceiling of the Fireside and Heritage lounges.
Aluminum Ingots Alcoa Warrick Operations near Newburgh, Indiana, one of the world’s largest aluminum facilities, utilizes an electromagnetic casting process to create ingots weighing about 44,000 pounds. A typical ingot is 30 feet long and is 65 inches wide and 21 inches thick. After casting, the ingots are rolled in a multi-stage process to create aluminum sheet for products such as food and beverage cans. For the University Center, the ends of eight ingots were cut to create these 2,300-pound benches. The distinctive X on the surface is where the casting process first begins.
Printed Plastic Berry Plastics Corporation’s Evansville plant produces millions of feet of plastic sheeting each year. The material is typically formed into tube containers for various types of liquids, from tomato paste to hair gel. A special sample of this material was created and printed with the logos of four regional manufacturers—Berry Plastics, Can Clay, Alcoa, and Jasper Chair—who have supplied products for the University Center. The material is showcased in a framed display on the main level adjacent to the Fireside Lounge.
Other materials and concepts Carpet in the Fireside Lounge was designed using satellite images of the USI campus, creating a conceptual pattern. Stained-concrete flooring elsewhere on the main level, and in linoleum on the level above, incorporates a blue path that signifies the distinctive shape of the Ohio River as it passes through the Evansville area. The wood paneling in Outreach and Engagement’s second floor area is poplar, a tree indigenous to Indiana.
Holzman Moss Bottino Architecture of New York City designed the expansion project. Sodexo, Inc., the University’s food service contractor, prepared the food-service design. Hafer Associates and Wilkie Structural Engineers were the engineering firms. Weddle Brothers Inc. of Bloomington served as general contractor, Deig Brothers Lumber and Construction of Evansville performed mechanical work, and Capital Electric, also of Evansville, performed project-related electrical work.
University of Southern Indiana
LOWER LEVEL FLOOR PLAN
APB
SGA
(Activities Programming Board)
(Student Government Association)
(FUTURE)
TEACHING THEATRE
FRATERNITY and SORORITY LIFE
STUDENT ORGANIZATION OFFICES
THE SHIELD (Student Newspaper)
MECHANICAL ROOM (No Access)
UNIVERSITY CENTER EXPANSION
DINING
DINING & COMMONS AREA
(FUTURE)
CYCLONE SALADS
Cyclone Salads is a homegrown “build your own” salad bar offering a wide array of veggies, tasty meats and cheeses, and savory dressings. Also featured are panini sandwiches, stuffed baked potatoes, and refreshing smoothies. A healthy alternative where the choices are up to you. Salsa Rico fresh Mexican grill celebrates the flavors of the Baja Pacific with its signature one-pound burritos and enchiladas, soft-shell tacos, quesadillas, nachos, salads, and fresh salsa made daily. Flame-grilled chicken, steak, and fresh vegetables combine with fresh guacamole, rice, and beans, reminiscent of the Baja Pacific, where the sun is bright, the breeze is warm, and the food is fresh.
University of Southern Indiana
TEACHING THEATRE
STUDENT DEVELOPMENT
FIRESIDE LOUNGE
DEAN OF STUDENTS
SALSA RICO
DINING & COMMONS AREA
MULTICULTURAL CENTER
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS and SERVICES
FIRST LEVEL FLOOR PLAN
BACHELOR OF
GENERAL STUDIES
HERITAGE LOUNGE CONFERENCE ROOM
CONFERENCE ROOM
CONFERENCE ROOM
CONFERENCE ROOM
CENTER FOR HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT CENTER FOR APPLIED RESEARCH
SERVICE LEARNING
CENTER FOR ACADEMIC CREATIVITY
CONTINUING EDUCATION REGISTRATION
HISTORIC SOUTHERN INDIANA
DIVISION OF OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT
CENTER FOR EDUCATION SERVICES AND PARTNERSHIPS
SECOND LEVEL FLOOR PLAN
CONFERENCE ROOM
TRADITIONS LOUNGE
CONFERENCE ROOM
CONFERENCE ROOMS
“The building’s new spaces and wide range of multiple vistas provide many inviting opportunities for congregation and interaction by students and faculty. By combining new and reclaimed materials and incorporating regional references in unexpected ways, our goal was to create moments of discovery throughout the structure to develop a sense of connectivity fueled by shared experience.” — Malcolm Holzman, FAIA, partner at Holzman Moss Bottino Architecture
UNIVERSITY CENTER EXPANSION
www.usi.edu/uceast
Architectural Rendering
Coming Soon: A Teaching Theatre USI’s Teaching Theatre will connect with the lower and middle levels of the new UC East. Final state funding is pending and the USI Foundation is raising funds for the project as well. For more, see www.usi.edu/teachingtheatre.
“UC East is about connections, with campus and with the region. The renovated space in UC East makes a powerful statement about USI’s connection to the region through the use of materials from businesses in the area and contemporary space for the Office of Outreach and Engagement. Equally important is that student organizations have prime real estate located in the center of campus, signaling their importance to campus life.” — Linda L. M. Bennett, USI President
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