SOLUTION/DESIGN
In keeping with this collegiate tradition as well as the explicitly stated standards for exterior materials in the Campus Aesthetic Guidelines, the proposed Student Center has been designed as a brick building with white trim exterior, providing a grounded presence completing the surround of the future Central Quad in a dynamic but dignified way. The restrained architecture of the Student Center will be a good neighbor and moderating influence to the other buildings surrounding the Quad thereby aiding the coherence of the overall composition.
The central atrium is the heart of the Student Center. It provides important social spaces for ELAC students including the large ground floor lobby with coffee shop seating. By providing an open central stair it will make clear the spatial relationships between the various functions on all three levels, and it will afford additional pre-function space for the Multi-Purpose room. All the Student Center’s major functions either open off of or are immediately accessible from the Atrium. Providing natural ventilation and natural light to what would have been the interior of the building, the atrium animates and connects the building and its uses. It puts the students at the center of the Student Center. It is a place of student interaction and community.

PROGRAM/SCOPE
The building’s entrance lobby is the first floor of the Atrium. Not only does the main lobby provide direct access to the Bookstore, the Cafeteria dining room and the Cafeteria server, but it also provides an area for seating for the Cafeteria’s coffee shop. 
At the second floor, the Atrium and adjoining spaces provide not just circulation spaces but also important Pre-Function space for the Multipurpose Room as well as direct and generous access to the Student Lounge, Study Area and the ASU Conference Room. The extension of the Atrium provides direct access to the Conference Rooms and the reception for the Student Services suite. 
On the third floor, all the main functions enter off the Atrium: Faculty and Staff Lounges and Health Services reception. 
The building is designed so that the Multi-Purpose Room, Atrium, Pre-Function space, decks and restrooms, can be open for after-hours events, while the rest of the Building is secured. 

BUDGET/COST
The project was completed on a tight budget of $28 million.

SPECIAL CHALLENGES/UNUSUAL CHARACTERISTICS
One of the project challenges was to create a flexible, sustainable building all within a tight budget. The design team’s concept of the central open-air atrium helped achieve both goals of sustainability and flexibility, resulting in a LEED Gold building that was on budget.