Project Description
The newly renovated University Center creates a dynamic, student-centered facility that kindles learning opportunities and collaboration between students, faculty, and community. A comfortable “living room” for students to meet, relax, study, and socialize, the University Center is transformed into an architectural centerpiece to enliven the nearby quad and showcase the student life of FSU. It is the place to “see and be seen” and a hub for student life. With its transformation the University Center becomes a front door and gateway to the campus, a window into student life and a resource for academic and social activities. The center will be an open and engaging place for the University and Big Rapids community to come together. Organized along an internal “street” which flows from the campus ‘front door’ past the event rooms, gallery, and marketplace dining, the main street graciously steps down toward the center of campus to wrap along the quad in a dramatic double-height student lounge space. The transparency of the elevation into quad-level lounge will captivate the campus community as it displays student life 24/7. The new additions to the north and west seamlessly link many of the facility’s most important features and functions. The new University Center provides connections for faculty and students, space for formal and informal learning, and achieves a real “wow” factor through the use of design elements that showcase the activities within through light, color, and rich building materials.