The university needed a building with an open design that could meet the demands of fast-changing technology, and the 155,000-square-foot facility does just that. It houses programs in visual arts, emerging media technology and multimedia communications, as well as a 1,200-seat lecture hall. Designed to achieve LEED Silver, it serves as a technology hub for the Arts and Technology (ATEC) program, combining the innovation process of artists, scientists and engineers.

“The goal was to build a building that was very flexible and adaptable to the change in technology and was a showcase for the visual arts, and we were able to obtain that in this building in the heart of our campus,” said Calvin D. Jamison, Ed.D., UT Dallas vice president for administration.

The $66 million facility was designed by San Francisco-based Studios Architecture (known for designing the tech-savvy Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.) The building is set in the middle of campus, adjacent to the library and facing the mall and reflecting pools. It features classrooms for game design, sound design and visual arts, conference rooms, 2-D drawing and painting art studios, 3-D art studios and fabrication, a recording studio and photography labs.

“Designed for game design, sound design and the visual arts, it’s a pretty comprehensive entity that’s going to bring together the best of the arts and the best of technology,” Jamison said. “There’s a lot of public space offering for collaboration. It’s an iconic building on campus; you can’t miss it.”

Dr. Dennis Kratz, dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, said the building design has open public spaces and window views along its perimeter. “It’s a departure from the usual building layout with offices and classrooms surrounding the perimeter,” he said in a statement. “We wanted to move the offices to the center of the building and make the perimeter a showcase for our students’ work.”

Jamison said the major challenge was building a facility that could accommodate the unique disciplines that would now be integrated and one that was flexible enough to allow for future research spaces. A number of meetings were held to obtain information and feedback from faculty and students in order to construct a building that would have the appropriate technology and research facilities required by the ATEC program.

“Feedback allowed us to bring together faculty and students as well as other schools to put this whole process together, so the building reflects that,” Jamison said. “It’s a free-flowing building and has unique characteristics that allows for creative and collaborative research as well as teaching. And how the light cuts in allows for more collaborative space opportunities.”

The building is named after philanthropist Edith O’Donnell and her husband Peter, who created the O’Donnell Foundation, which has contributed more than $600 million to support scientific research and education in America over the last 30 years.

“The O’Donnells have been committed to the development of UT Dallas’ academic programs throughout the university’s history,” said Dr. Hobson Wildenthal, executive vice president and provost, in a statement. “Their support has been transformative and has contributed greatly to our success as a rising national research institution. To name this building for Edith O’Donnell is a fitting tribute to such generous friends and partners.”

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“We are very pleased to have earned this recognition on behalf of the owner and the project team,” said Greg Wilkinson, co-chairman of the Board of Hill & Wilkinson. “Being the only Texas project also makes us proud of our team’s accomplishments.”

This isn’t the only award that the university project has received. The student services building was recognized with the Accessibility Award, presented by the Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities and Accessibility Professionals Association, and other sustainability and safety awards for the project.

The 74,000-square-foot building has a total of six sustainability awards and the feedback from those at the university is positive and also thankful for the recognition.

“…This recognition reflects UT Dallas’ commitment to sustainability and the talents of an outstanding project team, including Perkins + Will, the design architects,” said Wilkinson.

The construction of the student services building has students appreciating the design as well as taking some credit for the project itself.

“What is most gratifying to me is the fact that this building, which was constructed as an initiative of the university’s student body, has garnered such a significant amount of award,” said Rick Dempsey, associate vice president for facilities management.

The $27.5 million project was completed in just over a year and opened for students in 2011. The three-story building received its latest green building award Dec. 13.

The student services building is a place for students to participate in general enrollment activities, health services, counseling and career center, financial aid and links to other student groups, along with other amenities.

The building’s design was recognized and awarded because of its commitment to sustainability and energy saving design implementation.

The student center has a custom exterior terra cotta louver system that provides an energy efficient shading strategy, set in place to protect those inside the building from the harsh Texas heat, while reducing radiant heat gain and maximizing daylighting and views to the outdoor landscaping. The daylight harvesting efforts helped the building use 76 percent of all occupied spaces with natural lighting and 93 percent of all occupied spaces to have views to the outside.

The building utilized water conservation by installing dual flush and low flow toilets. They also used rainwater harvesting as a way to utilize non-potable water, resulting in 86 percent reduction in potable water.

Those working on the site kept the project area green as well by recycling construction debris. A total of 88 percent of construction debris was recycled — total debris of 1,170 tons and the team was able to divert 1,034 tons from landfills.

The building also features low-emitting paint, carpet and adhesives. The United States Green Building Council granted the project 52 out of 69 possible LEED points.

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