CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson University is currently in the midst of the largest campus development initiative in its history, implementing a facilities plan designed to help place it in the public eye among the best institutions of learning in America.

Students have not simply been spectators in the process but have rather been active participants in every stage. Faculty well-versed in construction science and management, civil engineering and the School of Architecture have capitalized on the construction boom by working campus projects into their curriculums, turning job sites into classrooms.

By teaming up with Clemson’s Facilities department and the general contractors of major projects like the new College of Business facility, professors have been able to offer students real-world, hands-on experiences with the construction process that could never be replicated in a traditional classroom.

“We have a perfect learning lab here,” said Paul Borick, senior project manager for Clemson Facilities, who organizes site tours and facilitates building-related learning opportunities for students and professors. “This is a great opportunity for students to see footings, concrete foundation walls, structural steel framing and the most modern equipment and construction methodologies in action — some students sat in on our early design meetings.

Construction of the nearly 180,000-square-foot College of Business facility is a prime example of these learning opportunities. Nestled into the hillside across from Bowman Field, the new home for business education at Clemson is quickly rising from the ground. When finished, it will nearly double the space available in historic Sirrine Hall, the college’s current home.

The project will feature two towers, North and South, connected on the ground and first floors by an expansive outdoor stairway and plaza, and by an interior hallway on the building’s ground floor. The majority of the North Tower will comprise classrooms and labs, while the four-story South Tower will primarily house faculty and staff offices and workspaces.

The new home for the College of Business is set to open in 2020 and will provide the Clemson community with a think tank environment, bringing students, faculty and industry together in a collaborative, inspiring space that is forward-thinking in its design and daily application. Business students will have the kind of attractive environment that compels them to work, engage, study, ask hard questions, challenge themselves and work together.

As the construction manager of record, DPR is charged with balancing the project’s scope, schedule and budget, and coordinating the subcontractor trades. DPR is teamed up with Greenville contractor Sherman Construction on the project. DPR and Sherman also built Clemson’s new 142,500-square-foot Football Operations Center, which opened last year.

Wendy York, dean of the College of Business, says the new building is a sign of the commitment university leadership has made to the future of business education at Clemson.

“This world-class learning facility will become a magnet for drawing quality students in pursuit of a business degree that will open doors for them,” said York. “And its location, in the heart of campus, will tell all who pass by that Clemson means business.”

The post Clemson’s College of Business Construction Doubles as Classroom appeared first on School Construction News.

School Construction News spoke with Eldon Bock, AIA, LEED AP, principal and COO of WER Architects, about the design of the project and what its opening will mean for students.

Q: What was the school’s main goal for the project?

Bock: The various components of the art department have been scattered about campus for decades. In spite of the fracturing this disassociation often creates, the programs were thriving and produced an excellent foundation of learning for the students. Missing were solid opportunities for collaboration or cross-pollination between the programs, faculty and students. The goal of the university’s art department was to provide a new facility that would house not only the various visual arts programs such as letterpress, print making, graphic design, photography, drawing and 3D design, but also integrated art history and humanities. The notion of exposing the art of craft and the genesis of inspiration to building users and visitors alike formed much of the driving force behind the design solution.

Q: What were some of the key design elements involved?

Bock: Transparency highlighting the artistic process was paramount in the design solution. The facility organizes around a central stair that also functions as a casual ‘critique zone’ and student hangout within the building. This stair organizes both community and student galleries while encouraging interaction between them. The facility is situated near the edge of campus and includes a public plaza to welcome the community into the facility’s galleries, and also provides a lecture hall for public events. Studios were organized to take advantage of critical adjacencies between sympathetic programs while technology/production hubs were positioned to further collaboration and interaction between faculty and students.

Q: What influenced the design of the new facility?

Bock: The visual art facility design perhaps overuses the analogy of a blank canvas. The university administration, provost and visual arts faculty appreciate the beauty of the campus but wanted a solution that was specific to the function of the building while continuing the design themes of the newer facilities on campus. As designers, we focused on a contemporary solution to the organizational themes discovered during the programming process. In the spirit of Piet Mondrian, the design wants to focus on being the white space of the canvas, letting the art process within provide the color and final composition. You will find a Mondrian exploration of geometric panelization within the exterior skin and the overall massing for the forms.

Q: What kind of feedback did student groups and faculty members provide for the project?

Bock: Months were taken for proper programming. Student groups and virtually all faculty members were involved in need assessment and opportunity explorations. Administration, department heads and faculty toured peer facilities. The challenge was to visualize possibilities beyond the symptomatic learning process dictated by the existing, dispersed studio or teaching locations around campus. Programming helped everyone involved to better understand the need of a common facility and the potential synthesis it would bring to the visual arts program.

Q: What were some of the challenges on the project, and how did the project team overcome those challenges?

Bock: Not many. It was a pleasure to have a user group of right brain– oriented thinkers provide design input to create a truly unique solution for their needs. The onus for WER was to design the needed flexibility into this facility so that it could transcend and be relevant thru decades of creative use.

The post Q&A: Arkansas University Readies New Visual Arts Building appeared first on School Construction News.