Campus gets monumental study space

The project is a sprawling mansion four stories tall, complete with grand entry and elegant ballroom. The client wants it to project an image of monumental reputation, yet still feel warm and welcoming.

It sounds like any designer's dream job. There's just one catch.

Those thousands upon thousands of guests are rowdy teenagers who will come to eat, play and even sleep every day, day after day, for 30-plus years.

The project is the $56 million Joe Crowley Student Union at the University of Nevada, Reno, under construction by The Penta Building Group. Reno-based Lundahl and Associates contracted for architecture, planning and interior design.

The 165,000-square-foot space is destined to take a beating. So FF&Es that's the profession's term for "furniture, fixtures and equipment" must be able to take abuse.

Students slouched in study lounges enact a different protocol than do employees in the straight-backed confines of office cubicles.

"You can't anticipate what will happen," says Carrie Conway, an associate at Lundahl. "Students take things on coasters and will have races down the halls. They'll run and jump over the top of things when running to greet someone. When they're sleeping, they'll put their feet up on the furniture."

Surfaces still more durable are needed in remote areas of the building. It's tough to carve one's initials in molded Polyurethane resin.

So when selecting furnishings, Conway looked at durability. She chose stackable pieces so maintenance crews could come in and clean. It had to be lightweight so student employees can handle the job. She ordered from companies that specialize in educational institutions and provided the warranty and service contracts wanted with such a level of wear and tear.

At the same time, the building must present a different demeanor when the university president hosts well-heeled alumni at fund-raising affairs.

The building is designed for multiple functions, says Peter Grove, principal and managing partner at Lundhal.

It's the heart stone of the campus. A center for student organizations, with room to lounge, and dine, and grab quick meals between classes. Plus ballroom and theatre, book store and retail.

Even its placement at the 15th Street entrance to campus southeast of Lawlor Events Center casts it in the role of ambassador.

The first-floor main entry works to establish the university identity through monumental signage, staircase and information desk, says Grove. Yet, rather than seem intimidating, it must feel welcoming. So designers drew from a palette of warm colors found in the natural environment: indigo (that's UNR blue) sage, browns, brick and wood.

The second floor, designed for dining, also houses commercial retailers and does duty as a venue for evening events and performances. Portable stages join lounge booths to provide seating for about 300 people in 3,500 square feet. To withstand heavy traffic, designers chose a floor of stained concrete with terrazzo.

The two-floor bookstore begins here, where its 22,000 square feet flow up to the third floor.

There the design softens, with more of a living room feel, says Grove. Student groups can meet in conference rooms carved from the 48,000 square feet. Meanwhile, students at large can lounge on large overstuffed sofas in front of the fireplace.

A 300-seat movie theatre and sports-themed restaurant complete the ambience.

Like a penthouse, the fourth floor goes more upscale, with stained wood, wainscots, and wood veneer panel. Geared toward independent or small group studies, it gives way predominately to lounge spaces, says Grove.

Administrative offices and boardroom share this floor with small banquet and reception rooms designed to receive visitors and solicit support. But the crown jewel is a grand ballroom of nearly 11,000 square feet.

While heavy use was a prime design consideration, says Grove, the chief challenge was fitting the building onto a difficult, steeply sloping site.

Meanwhile, multiple program spaces had to fit inside, accessible from multiple entrances.

Environmental efficiency was a caveat. Lundhal aimed to capture maximum natural light but minimal brutal sun at all times of year. It built scale models and took them to the PG&E Energy Center in San Francisco. There, says Grove, "A big light 20 feet away simulated the sun." It could move to simulate exact times of year, such as June 6 at 2 p.m. in the afternoon. Those tests determined the size of window overhangs.

The project all started with the students, says Grove. At a series of workshops and lunchtime presentations, students said they wanted a building that was welcoming, progressive and environmentally responsible.

They also asked for state of the art technology: Wi-fi throughout, both walk-up and sit-down computer stations.

The student union is a self-supported entity, says Chuck Price, director of the student union.

Students assessed themselves a fee to pay for it. While restaurants and retail will offset operating costs, says Price, in a poll, 78 percent of students said they wanted a new student union and were willing to pay for it. They assessed themselves a fee of just under $100 a head per semester over the next 30 years.

Lundhal and Associates, founded 30 years ago by Jeff Lundhal, previously worked on the The Donald W. Reynolds School of Journalism and Pennington Medical Education Building on the UNR campus.

WTW Architects of Pittsburg also was involved in building design.