Officials at Michigan State University’s East Lansing Campus were concerned that Owen Hall, a mid-20th-century residence facility, was no longer attracting much interest from its target audience, graduate and international students. Although the facility enjoyed a choice location on campus, students were finding more modern and better appointed options off campus. Hoping to renew interest in its faded facility, MSU engaged the Building Team of SmithGroup (architect and MEP engineer) and Triangle Associates (CM) to significantly upgrade the facility’s community spaces. The university wanted its $9 million makeover to have a “Wow!” factor.
Bold colors, a modern lighting scheme, and an open floor plan inject new excitement and energy into the building while also staying true to the original 1961 aesthetic of clean lines, simple forms, and minimal decoration. The project team had only nine months (including planning, design, and construction) to inject 21st-century modernity into the residence.
Work focused on two floors and 39,000 sf of space within the seven-story, 60,000-sf facility. Creating synergy between the lower level and the first floor was key to making the space feel more open, so two cutouts were made in the floor between the two levels. The openings give residents better sightlines throughout both floors and views into the new dining center, game room, and social/lounge spaces.
The dining center became a multipurpose eating/study lounge with a coffee shop and an emporium-style servery named “Riverwalk Market.” A significantly upgraded game room/TV lounge on the lower level connects to the community kitchen, where students can prepare their own meals. Private study spaces are scattered throughout the rehabbed areas.
Lighting played a significant role in the facility’s redesign. A bold green ribbon with a white LED edge light runs throughout the space, uniting the two floors and acting as a circulation element. LEDs also make the acrylic reception desk glow. Track lighting and general ambient lighting are used throughout. Despite the lighting’s high design, the system performs 26% below ASHRAE standards.
“The team did its job well,” said Reconstruction Awards judge Martha Bell, FAIA, LEED AP, principal, Tilton, Kelly+Bell, Chicago. “The facility is compelling and attractive to students, and the renovation is true to the building’s 1960s roots.” BD+C
PROJECT SUMMARY
Building Team
Submitting firm: SmithGroup (architect, MEP engineer)
Owner: Michigan State University
CM: Triangle Associates
General Information
Size: 39,000 gsf
Construction cost: $9 million
Construction period: May 2008 to August 2009
Delivery method: CM
Related Stories
Architects | Feb 28, 2022
JLL continues expansion in Southwest with acquisition of San Diego’s Gilliland Construction Management
JLL announced that it has completed the acquisition of Gilliland Construction Management, a leader in project and construction management services for life sciences, lab, retail, hospitality, industrial, multifamily, and office properties.
Codes and Standards | Feb 24, 2022
Most owners adapting digital workflows on projects
Owners are more deeply engaged with digital workflows than other project team members, according to a new report released by Trimble and Dodge Data & Analytics.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 24, 2022
First new, mixed-use high-rise in Detroit’s central business district in nearly 30 years opens
City Club Apartments completed two multifamily projects in 2021 in downtown Detroit including the first new, mixed-use high-rise in Detroit’s central business district in nearly 30 years.
| Feb 24, 2022
Signs of ‘Antiwork’ appear in the architecture industry
Reddit's r/Antiwork forum highlights the mounting pressures everyday workers face in a purely capitalistic society. AEC industry professionals are not immune to these pressures.
Office Buildings | Feb 23, 2022
The Beam on Farmer, Arizona’s first mass timber, multi-story office building tops out
The Beam on Farmer, Arizona’s first mass timber, multi-story office building, topped out on Feb. 10, 2022.
Codes and Standards | Feb 21, 2022
More bad news on sea level rise for U.S. coastal areas
A new government report predicts sea levels in the U.S. of 10 to 12 inches higher by 2050, with some major cities on the East and Gulf coasts experiencing damaging floods even on sunny days.
Wood | Feb 18, 2022
$2 million mass timber design competition: Building to Net-Zero Carbon (entries due March 30!)
To promote construction of tall mass timber buildings in the U.S., the Softwood Lumber Board (SLB) and USDA Forest Service (USDA) have joined forces on a competition to showcase mass timber’s application, commercial viability, and role as a natural climate solution.
University Buildings | Feb 18, 2022
On-campus performing arts centers and museums can be talent magnets for universities
Cultural facilities are changing the way prospective students and parents view higher education campuses.
University Buildings | Feb 17, 2022
A vacated school in St. Louis is turned into a center where suppliers exchange ideas
In 1871, The Carondelet School, designed by Frederick William Raeder, opened to educate more than 400 children of laborers and manufacturers in St. Louis. The building is getting a second lease on life, as it has undergone a $2 million renovation by goBRANDgo!, a marketing firm for the manufacturing and industrial sectors.
Data Centers | Feb 15, 2022
Data center boom: How two AEC firms plan to meet unprecedented demand for data center facilities
Ramboll's Jim Fox and EYP Mission Critical Facilities' Rick Einhorn discuss the recent joining of their companies at a time of unprecedented data center demand. BD+C's John Caulfield leads the discussion with Fox, Ramboll's Managing Director for the Americas, and Einhorn, EYP Mission Critical Facilities' Managing Director.
