Grewcock Student Union TMP Architecture, Inc. Project of Distinction Winner 2010 Education Design Showcase
Project Fact Sheet
Facility Use: College/University 4-Year Institution Project Type: New Construction Category: Student Unions (College Only) Location: Hillsdale, MI District/Inst.: Hillsdale College Richard Pewe Vice President Completion Date: December 2007 Design Capacity: 1,720 students Enrollment: 1,200 students Gross Area: 54,000 sq.ft. Space per pupil: 32 sq.ft. Site size: 1 acres Cost per student: $11,628 Cost per sq.ft.: $371.00 Total project cost: $20,000,000 Building construction cost: $13,500,000 Site development cost: $1,400,000 Furniture & equipment cost: $1,700,000 Fees and other: $3,100,000
The new 54,000 square foot Hillsdale College Grewcock
Student Union provides a campus ‘community center’ for students of this private
Midwestern liberal arts institution.It is designed to be a place of unity for students to meet, relax,
study, play, dine and congregate.
Goals & Visions
Formerly, the college lacked an identifiable student union,
and student services were widely scattered across campus.The new 2-story union responds to this
need by consolidating services and amenities into one facility.The union’s inviting design complements
the historic character of adjacent Civil War-era Central Hall, and is built
into the hill at the east side of the main campus green, defining the edge of
this public space.
Planning Process
The college’s design committee was comprised of students, student activities
and organizations’ directors, administrators, facility management staff and
both Deans of Students.Together
with the architectural design team, this group conducted on-campus observation
and ad-hoc ‘interviews’ with students regarding their day-to-day use of the
existing dining and lounge facilities.Pros and cons were recorded and acknowledged in the development of the
building program.Several
departments and functions, previously scattered among disparate college
properties, were scheduled to come together in the new student union.While all participants recognized the
positive benefits of this consolidation, differences between current habits and
preferences of these groups created challenges for the design team to
solve.Food service is the largest
of the groups, and security became a significant challenge. The college
committee wanted to make the dining room space available for student study
space in-between meal times – an option the existing dining facility did not
provide.A large retractable
folding wall separates the servery from the seating areas, thus allowing the
dining room to be used for studying during food-service preparation and
cleaning.The campus bookstore, relocated
from its previous home in a basement, presented delivery and security
challenges of its own.The
architectural design team crafted a unified solution to satisfy all users.
Site Considerations
Hillsdale College was founded in 1854, and is proud of its historic 1875
Central Hall, standing at the heart of the main campus quad.The traditional character of that
building guides the college’s development of new and remodeling projects.Within the campus infrastructure,
current technology is in place for energy efficiency, sustainability and access
to information and communication systems.The location of the Grewcock Student Union completes the east side of
the campus quadrangle, and provides a barrier-free location from which to
observe the wooded ‘graduation hill.’While dormitories are the students’ bedrooms, the Union provides living,
dining and recreation room functions during their school years at the
campus.
Meeting Programmatic Needs
Within the new union, students have a variety of study and recreation spaces
from which to choose, varying in formality and activity level.The traditional formal lounge features
soft seating, study tables, built-in bookcases and a large fireplace.The café can host small-scale musical
or poetry presentations while the TV lounge boasts a 100-inch flat display with
a 6-channel surround-sound system.The recreation lounge includes billiards, foosball and video-gaming
stations complete with sound-domes to isolate game noise.
The lower floor features the expansive dining hall complete
with a free-form servery, kitchen support spaces, a variety of table and booth
seating options, an isolatable small dining room for group meetings, and
beautiful views.A walkout patio connects
the entire east side to the wooded hillside beyond.Mailboxes for all students, organizations and clubs are
housed along the lower corridor where they can be accessed on the way to or
from meals.
The upper floor has grade entry from the quad to the west
and is highlighted by the central two-story commons, a café, bookstore, meeting
spaces and offices.The campus
bookstore, formal lounge and conference room, offices for student publications
and organizations, cyber café, wireless technology and recreation spaces all
make the union a truly inviting and busy campus gathering place.The building has a traditional feel,
does not short-change the 21st century students, and includes the technology to
which they’re accustomed.This
technology is present, yet not pervasive, with wireless Internet access and
flat screen monitors providing campus schedules, dining hall menus and
television news, integrated throughout public spaces.
Environmental Considerations
Environmental stewardship and operational cost-efficiency guided an upgrade of
the campus’ central boiler and chiller systems to high-efficiency, and included
the extension of the distribution tunnel to this new building.Energy-recovery systems were
incorporated with air-handling and dining exhaust equipment to reduce energy
consumption.Dining services have
gone tray-less to reduce food waste, and a garbage compactor is an integral
part of ongoing building operations, reducing the volume of landfill
waste.Motion-sensors are
incorporated with lighting to reduce energy use when spaces are unoccupied.Materials specified and selected were
evaluated for recycled content and recycle-ability.All sealants and coatings are low-VOC off gassing, linoleum
flooring is organic-based, carpeting is 100% recyclable, and wood trims are
from rapidly renewable resources.Exterior finishes are durable and low-maintenance to help reduce
long-term operating costs.Brick
veneer, aluminum-clad windows and fiberglass trim elements require little
upkeep.All of these systems and
materials were carefully considered for reliability, durability,
cost-effectiveness, and their contribution to the efficiency of the college’s
long-term operation and maintenance costs.
Special Challenges & Solutions
With the site approachable from all sides, a limited combined delivery and
services access area was created at the north end, screening it from views at
both the quad and patio levels.With over 50,000 square feet of program space, the two-story solution
nestles mechanical and service functions into the hill on the lower level,
supporting the open and interconnected dining and lounge spaces for students’
use.
The open central commons stairs, and perimeter areas along
the east lounge spaces, create acoustical interconnectedness between floors
giving users a sense of activity throughout the building.Soft seating, carpet and ceilings
temper acoustics to reduce noise levels.Windows at the upper level provide views to the woods while serving as
clerestory natural light sources to the dining areas below.The bookstore entrance terminates a
strong circulation spine extending south through the covered colonnade, in
front of the library, to the academic buildings at the front quadrangle.Student and visitor orientation is
quickly established with all major functions accessed from this simple primary
circulation line.
Materials Choices
The College Design Committee desired a traditional
campus character for the new union to complement 1875 Central Hall.Masonry detailing, arched windows
and pitched roofs are in harmony with surrounding campus and community
buildings.Cast stone wall caps and medallions bring the 21st century
building comfortably into the supporting role for the 19th century campus
center.Landscape walls separate
pedestrian from service areas, and extend the masonry of the building to the
north with special, masonry shapes and piers with cast stone caps and finials.
Inside, rich wood trims and wainscot, five stone fireplaces,
linoleum flooring in traffic areas, wood flooring at the café, pendant lighting
and a unique arched corridor ceiling make this a warm and inviting campus
community environment.
Unique Features/Innovations
The union’s tower is a vertical element that defines a point
of entry for visitors and students.It is a smaller, simpler, complementary element, paying homage to
Central Hall’s large clock tower.Adjacent to the Main entry from the quadrangle, the Union’s tower draws
users in and provides natural daylight illumination of the featured life-sized
bronze Winston Churchill statue prominently located adjacent to the Lobby.This statue is one of several
commissioned statues of historic statesmen – and women – comprising the Liberty
Walk around the campus.
Safety & Security Considerations
Student ID cards provide access to the building’s east entry,
and security for the food-service providers is controlled with monitored entry
and alarmed emergency egress.The
open plan and connections between the upper and lower levels provide not only a
comfortable ‘see and be seen’ environment for the students, but also create the
acoustical and visible links helpful for users to feel safe when studying late.
Cost Effectiveness
Hillsdale College is proud
of its heritage, and the Facilities Planning and Construction Department always
focuses on operational efficiency.The energy-efficiency of the mechanical systems, integrity of the
building envelope and durability of finishes were all carefully evaluated with
longevity and efficiency in mind.The Owner, Architect and Construction Manager established an effective
team that worked together to accomplish those goals in this popular and vibrant
facility.
Project Description:
1) Control of Institution: Private: For Profit 2) Type of Institution: Other (Private College)
Locale:
Suburban
Methodology & Standards:
District/Institution Decision; First-Cost
Funding Method(s):
Primary Source: Primary Source: Private Funding Alternative Sources: Secondary: Grants and Donations
Project Delivery Method(s):
CM At-Risk
Sustainable/Green Design:
Site Selection and Development: Site Selection Energy Efficiency and Conservation: Building Automation/Energy Management Systems Indoor Environmental Quality: Use of Daylighting
