In a world where communicating around the globe seems easier than communicating across the hallway, the student union fulfills a vital need to create engagement with both people and place. The architecture of the college union should be as open and engaging as the individuals who give the building life. Daylight, transparency, openness, clarity, flexibility, and campus connections are key elements in creating the 21st-century union. Careful composition of these elements into a unique symbol of the institution’s values creates much more than just another building on campus; it establishes a hub of campus life that will anchor the education of students for generations to come. When the right mix of programs, at the right location, comes together in a signature building symbolizing the culture, tradition, and aspirations of the university, the resulting college union can be almost magical in the way it transforms the campus life experience.

1. NEWS /
Student Union
Trends + Projects

2. ON THE COVER:
University Crossing
University of Massachusetts Lowell

3. PERKINS+WILL COMPLETES SEVEN
STUDENT UNION PROJECTS /
In a world where communicating around the globe seems easier than communicating across the hallway,
the student union fulfills a vital need to create engagement with both people and place.
The architecture of the college union should be as open and engaging as the individuals who give the
building life. Daylight, transparency, openness, clarity, flexibility, and campus connections are key
elements in creating the 21st-century union. Careful composition of these elements into a unique symbol
of the institution’s values creates much more than just another building on campus; it establishes a hub
of campus life that will anchor the education of students for generations to come.
When the right mix of programs, at the right location, comes together in a signature building symbolizing
the culture, tradition, and aspirations of the university, the resulting college union can be almost magical
in the way it transforms the campus life experience.
STUDENTUNIONS

5. TREND #1
PUBLIC/PRIVATE
PARTNERSHIP
The delivery of projects through public/private
partnerships is on the rise. At the University of Alaska
Fairbanks, the University was able to fund their project
by creating a partnership with the architect, contractor,
developer, and a non-profit organization that sold
bonds to finance the project. P3 offers the ability
to deliver a public project through a private delivery
process that is more time- and cost-efficient than a
typical public process. In the P3 process, the project
team is motivated by cost guarantees and incentives to
deliver the project in a shorter timeframe that results in
cost savings without compromising quality.
Wood Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks
STUDENTUNIONSTRENDS

7. TREND #2
THE SPACES
BETWEEN
Education does not simply happen in the classroom
or lab - it is an integrated experience that happens
as students interact in the hallway, dining hall,
auditorium, meeting room, and fitness center.
Student union projects are being designed for the
future, focusing on these “spaces between” that
increase the potential for spontaneous interactions
that are fundamental to a holistic education. We
believe that a “high tech” learning environment
will never completely replace the “high touch”
academic experience.
Student Life Centre, Kings University College
STUDENTUNIONSTRENDS

9. TREND #3
DIVERSITY IS
CENTRAL
Lory Student Center, Colorado State University
Often placed in disparate locations, diversity
programs at universities are now central to student
life. At the Colorado State University, Lory Student
Center, the cultural richness of their diversity
programs is visibly seen at the entrance through
the shared commons, customized office doors,
and displays of heritage art. The prominence of the
diversity programs and services signals a paradigm
shift in the importance of diversity on campus.
STUDENTUNIONSTRENDS

11. TREND #4
MORE SUSTAINABLE
BUILDINGS
Tomorrow’s buildings will generate more power
than they consume, harvest more water than they
use, and will become inseparably connected with
their ecosystems. At the Case Western Reserve
University, Tinkham Veale University Center,
an innovative glass curtainwall was designed to
address solar heat-gain and a green roof, including
photovoltaic panels, was central to the design,
integrating the building with nature both visually
and physically.
Tinkham Veale University Center, Case Western Reserve University
STUDENTUNIONSTRENDS

12. The new 89,000 square foot Case Western Reserve University,
Tinkham Veale University Center in Cleveland, Ohio, links previously
unconnected portions of campus and offers facilities that unite and
engage the university population. The building is organized into social
and cultural, meeting and event, and food and beverage functions
providing intersecting, yet defined public spaces for socializing,
collaborating, studying and relaxing. The building includes a 33,500
square foot green roof and is targeting LEED Gold certification.
LOCATION Cleveland, Ohio
TINKHAM VEALE UNIVERSITY CENTER
CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
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16. The revitalization of the Colorado State University, Lory Student
Center, in Fort Collins, Colorado, reorganizes a 1962 mid-century
building and expands the program space to 220,000 square feet. The
new front door from the free speech plaza opens directly into the two
level center for student diversity programs and services. The project
includes 825 seats in the main food court, 250 seats for dining in
the performance venue, 800 banquet seats in the main ballroom, a
student art gallery, retail tenants, meeting rooms, small and large
lounges, and all student programs and services. Aller • Lingle •
Massey Architects P.C. served as the architect of record and the
project is targeting LEED Silver certification.
LOCATION Fort Collins, Colorado
LORY STUDENT CENTER
COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
STUDENTUNIONSPROJECTS

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20. Kings University College, Student Life Centre, in London, Ontario,
integrates with the existing library to create new synergies between
learning space and student life in 50,000 square feet. The building
includes student union offices, 500-seat auditorium, fitness and
recreation areas, classrooms, student commons, a games room,
campus theatre, and multi-faith space. Green roofs provide a visual
amenity at the second level and facilitate the linkage to the existing
library in a way that maximizes access to natural light and views.
Existing trees and open spaces are integrated into the site plan to
create new gathering spaces and to maximize the shading of the
building during the summer months. The project is targeting LEED
Silver certification.
LOCATION London, Ontario
STUDENT LIFE CENTRE
KINGS UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
STUDENTUNIONSPROJECTS

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24. Seamlessly integrated into the existing campus, the new 108,000
square foot Parkland College, Student Union in Champaign, Illinois,
creates a link between three previously disconnected building wings.
The new Union provides, for the first time, a formal and iconic entry to
the campus and offers students and staff a common gathering place.
The building includes admissions and records, financial services,
offices for the dean of students, various student life spaces, testing
and assessment rooms, a bookstore, and a career center. The project
is targeting LEED Silver certification.
LOCATION Champaign, Illinois
STUDENT UNION
PARKLAND COLLEGE
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28. The expansion and revitalization of the San Jose State University,
Student Union, in San Jose, California, completely transforms the
existing 1960s concrete monolith at the oldest institution of higher
learning in California. The two-phase project provides 70,000
additional square feet to the retooled 140,000 square foot Ernest
Kump original building, including new food services, large event
rooms, ballroom and meeting rooms, outdoor dining and socialization
spaces, bookstore, auditorium/theater, recreation center and lounge
spaces, Spartan shops, multicultural center, and offices. The project
is targeting LEED Gold certification.
LOCATION San Jose, California
STUDENT UNION
SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY
STUDENTUNIONSPROJECTS

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32. At the University of Alaska Fairbanks, in Fairbanks, Alaska, the Wood
Center has been expanded for new student life on campus. The new
colorful dining hall adds 500 seats to the existing 180 seats making it
a premier destination on campus. Designed on two levels that overlook
southern views, the project repositions the building with a significant
increase in transparency and color. At the ground level, a new coffee
house is visible through the landscape and connected to the upper
level dining with a grand stair. The first higher education project
completed through P3 delivery, in the State of Alaska, was completed
in 28 months from design through construction.
LOCATION Fairbanks, Alaska
WOOD CENTER
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS
STUDENTUNIONSPROJECTS

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36. University Crossing at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, in
Lowell, Massachusetts, centralizes student life functions for three
campuses in one location. The university acquired a centrally located,
decommissioned hospital and reused 85,000 square feet of the newer
buildings and designed 145,000 square feet of new construction. The
project goes beyond a traditional student center - it includes student
clubs and organizations, retail dining and food service, meeting
and conference space, lounges, bookstore, health and counseling,
career services, student engagement and enrollment success, the
welcome center, the chancellor’s suite, registrar, bursar, financial aid,
information technology services, the police department, and parking
and transportation. The project is targeting LEED Silver certification.
LOCATION Lowell, Massachusetts
UNIVERSITY CROSSING
UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
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40. perkinswill.com
For more information contact:
Jeff Stebar, AIA, LEED AP
Higher Education Global Market Leader
Jeff.Stebar@perkinswill.com
404.443.7696