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KSS Architects in association with Uihlein-Wilson Architects, in Milwaukee, created an inviting front door and living room for the campus as well as a home for much-needed services for the campus community. Warch Campus Center also gives the university indoor and outdoor opportunities to embrace its natural setting, said Pamela Rew, AIA, the partner at KSS who led the project’s design.
“The project team seized the opportunity to align and connect the vibrant campus community to the qualities and rhythm of its site and the adjacent Fox River,” Rew said, adding, “The campus center was an amazing project in which everyone raised the bar high.”
Located east of Lawe Street, one the main roads running through campus, Warch Campus Center plays a significant role in the university’s planned development of its eastern campus. The project introduces a land bridge that strengthens the connection between the adjacent residence halls and the academic buildings across Lawe Street, thus creating a new perception and reality of the campus expansion.
The building design draws inspiration from the origin of the word “hall,” which historically represented a large covered structure where a village’s social and work lives converge. A transparent, glass-enclosed street meanders through the four-story building and provides connections to a Great Room and numerous gathering spaces. Occupants can easily move both horizontally and vertically and find special places to eat, hang out, and study.
The design also celebrates the Fox River, which runs along the south edge of campus. While other university buildings had turned their backs to the river, which had a history of pollution, the campus center captures different views and perspectives of the river from every level. The building form “twists” as it meets the river edge, breaking down the building’s large scale and reflecting the mix of the formal and informal places on campus, Rew said.
“The building gives students ways to get to the riverfront, which the campus never had before,” Rew said.
On Lawrence University’s news blog, university president Jill Beck said the building design surpassed expectations.
"The design of the campus center is so clever," said Beck. "From the front, it blends magnificently with other campus buildings. From the back it almost blends seamlessly with nearby Sage Hall, and that's helped with the sense of coherence. We've linked both sides of the campus together. We've got the academic hub and the social hub on each side of Lawe St. and the designs make it all seem very harmonious and attractive."
The project illustrates two major trends in higher education architecture. First is the growing popularity of the campus center building type. Also known as student centers, college unions or university commons, campus centers fulfill a wide range of programming functions from eating to performance, gaming, Internet surfing and administration. They give students, faculty and staff a living room for their home away from home. Warch Campus Center features include an open market-style cafeteria, convenience store, coffeehouse, campus store, indoor and outdoor dining areas, a 134-seat cinema, post office, informal and formal gathering spaces and meeting areas for the university’s approximately 100 student organizations.
The second trend is the growing importance of sustainable design in higher education construction. Warch is registered for and pursuing the USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification. The project team carefully aligned the design with the local landscape and the riverfront by using natural materials such as poured concrete, limestone, wood and glass. Other features included the incorporation of stone from local quarries in floor and wall finishes, a green roof, abundant daylighting, water-efficient toilet fixtures, native landscaping and high-efficiency glazing. The campus center will also offer organic, locally-grown coffee and produce from the nearby garden it overlooks. The cafeteria will feature trayless dining.
Rew said the general contractor, The Boldt Company, in Appleton, Wis., inspired the design team when it came to sustainable construction. Boldt highlighted the project’s sustainable features on prominent information boards displayed on their construction fence for both members of the current university community and as a stop for admissions tour groups to learn about the project’s core value. Boldt also developed a “green” construction trailer and literally inhabited the values of the project.
“We went from pursuing LEED Silver to LEED Gold really effortlessly,” Rew said, which she attributes to contributions from every team member.
Warch Campus Center also welcomes the residents of the Appleton as part of the university’s initiative to increase interactions between campus and community members. The campus center offers 12 venues accommodating up to 500 guests for residents and business to rent for events.
Proclaimed as Lawrence University’s “most ambitious building project” on their Web site, the campus center fulfills 20 years of planning and aspiring for the institution. KSS (kssarchitects.com) joined the project team in 2005. Construction began in May 2007. The university held a grand opening weekend event welcoming students to the campus center Sept. 17-20. The formal dedication will be on Friday, Oct. 23.
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