AUSTIN, TEXAS, March 22, 2011 – The new Student Activity Center (SAC) at the University of Texas campus in Austin is of the students, by the students, and for the students. The SAC is the result of almost 60 years of student lobbying for another dedicated social and cultural center on campus. Located in the heart of the campus, this 149,000 square foot facility is designed to serve as the “campus living room” – it is a place for students “to see and be seen”. The facility should earn a LEED Gold certification, a first for the campus.
Extensive student input and design workshops generated the main project goals, which were easy accessibility, more activity spaces and overall sustainability. Overland Partners Architects of San Antonio, TX and associate architect WTW Architects of Pittsburgh, PA responded with a contemporary building on the East Mall of campus, the primary pedestrian point of entry to the campus. The new SAC is geographically and functionally complementary to the existing student union on the West Mall, and important in serving the growing student body.
To meet the student goal of dedicated activity spaces, the SAC includes a 5,000 square foot ballroom, a 500-seat auditorium, a black box theatre, 12 student conference/meeting rooms, student organization offices, and a student government chamber. The ballroom is already booked for months with events like comedian Zach Braff, a 3-D Gaming tournament, and a concert by Chuck D. and Common. There are also ample group study lounges and informal individual study areas scattered throughout the facility. An indoor food court featuring regional fast food favorites and a coffee bar sits adjacent to more than 46,000 square feet of landscaped outdoor gathering space, substantially increasing the seating and providing an enjoyable dining experience in the moderate Austin climate.
The new SAC has struck a powerful chord at the university in response to project goals.
“I have to say that a mark of any successful building is how it makes one wonder how we managed without it,” Juan González, Vice-President for Student Affairs, said. “It is truly a major enhancement to not only the area, but the whole campus environment. It is especially rewarding to see so many students embrace the facility from the moment we opened the doors.”
The SAC is a modern take on the traditional campus architecture. The simple forms and clean lines of the SAC distinguish it, yet the limestone walls and red tile roofs unify it with the existing campus buildings. Tucked behind a mature oak grove, abundant windows throughout the building bring in ample daylighting and take advantage of the surrounding landscape. There is an accessible rooftop courtyard with an adjacent green roof, and a cistern that collects and recycles rainwater for landscape irrigation.
Renowned international artist James Turrell is designing a skyspace installation for the SAC opening in fall 2012. The enclosed rooftop space will have an opening in the roof surrounded by LED lights that will affect the viewer’s perception of the sky.
The project has only been open since January, yet students are already using every available inch of space. Early student reviews of the SAC are glowing.
“I went to peak at the new structure, and OH MAN. It’s awesome. Though we have the Union, academic center, and library, UT always lacked a central place where students could take a break between places, grab a bite to eat, nap, cram for a test, or hold student org meetings. The SAC provides all of the above and with style,” according to one UT student blog.
About Overland Partners
Overland Partners Architects, founded in 1987 in San Antonio, Texas, is the realization of a vision to bring together a wide range of talents in architecture and planning in order to provide comprehensive design services. Sensitive to the environmental and aesthetic contexts of its projects, the firm strives for a thoughtful integration of technology, art, and craft through highly sustainable solutions. Overland Partners offers its clients the ultimate goal of creating beautiful, functional and enduring designs through a collaborative process that inspires long-term relationships. In addition to the Student Activity Center at the University of Texas the firm is currently working on the university’s new College of Liberal Arts. The firm completed the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas in Austin, winner of more than 10 regional and national design awards. Other higher education projects within the firm’s design portfolio include the new Business School Building at Baylor University in Waco, Texas; the new Academic Building at the University of North Texas at Dallas; the new Continuing Education Center at Rice University in Houston; and the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania.
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Mar 3, 2015
10 kitchen and bath design trends for 2015
From kitchens made for pet lovers to floating vanities, the nation's top kitchen and bath designers identify what's hot for 2015.
Office Buildings | Mar 3, 2015
Former DuPont lab to be converted into business incubator near UPenn campus
The new Pennovation Center will provide collaborative and research spaces for educators, scientists, students, and the private sector.
Sponsored | BIM and Information Technology | Mar 3, 2015
The great debate: Is 3D PDF really BIM?
You can pull apart buildings, cut through floors, and view simulated animation for assembly instructions all within a PDF.
K-12 Schools | Mar 2, 2015
BD+C special report: What it takes to build 21st-century schools
How the latest design, construction, and teaching concepts are being implemented in the next generation of America’s schools.
Codes and Standards | Mar 2, 2015
Proposed energy standard for data centers, telecom buildings open for public comment
The intent of ASHRAE Standard 90.4P is to create a performance-based approach that would be more flexible and accommodating of innovative change.
K-12 Schools | Mar 1, 2015
Are energy management systems too complex for school facility staffs?
When school districts demand the latest and greatest, they need to think about how those choices will impact the district’s facilities employees.
Office Buildings | Mar 1, 2015
Google unveils dramatic tent-like, modular-focused plan for corporate HQ
The master plan by Bjarke Ingels and Thomas Heatherwick will wrap highly flexible office blocks in soaring translucent canopies.
Industrial Facilities | Feb 27, 2015
Massive windmill will double as mixed-use entertainment tower in Rotterdam
The 571-foot structure will house apartments, a hotel, restaurants, even a roller coaster.
Architects | Feb 27, 2015
5 finalists announced for 2015 Mies van der Rohe Award
Bjarke Ingels' Danish Maritime Museum and the Ravensburg Art Museum by Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei are among the five projects vying for the award.
Office Buildings | Feb 26, 2015
Using active design techniques to strengthen the corporate workplace and enhance employee wellness
The new Lentz Public Health Center in Nashville, Tenn., serves as a model of how those progressive and healthy changes can be made.