An unknown example of pristine midcentury campus architecture exists in the prairies of Montana. The IIT of the West, the campus is a pure glass, brick, and grass conglomeration which sought to look forward are reshape our interactions with the environment. When the school asked for a new University Center, we were in disbelief that we would have the privledge of adding to this collection. Located per a new master plan for the institution, the UCenter sits at a new axis of the campus to welcome prospective students, staff, and the community into the school. As project designer, I strived to make a deep connection to the campus, creating a building that takes the rich legacy and builds on it to provide spaces that explore spatial relationships and generate a multiplicity of experiences. Spaces were envisioned to focus on the core attributes of the school by bringing people in and presenting a preview of the campus. The presentation of the existing architecture, the grass, and the big sky become a shared experience through all programs in the building. Outdoor spaces become cruicial to connecting the many programs contained within this building while allowing the larger circulation of campus to flow through. A large conferencing center adds a component to the program which largely shapes this building allowing for processional views and formal play. The materiality is especially sensitive to the context while introducing new languages for future development. 

Campus Context

SD Rendering

Adjacency Diagram

Site View

Predesign Program Axonometric

Building Section

DD Renderings

Classroom Perspective