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Project Breakdown
Phase I
Cost: $50 million
Estimated Completion: Early 2014
Steps:
- Renovation of Gaskill Hall as part of the Armstrong Student Center
- Renovation of Rowan Hall as part of the Armstrong Student Center
- Construction of new central student center structure
Phase II
Cost: $12 million
Estimated Completion: TBD
Steps:
- Renovation of Kreger Hall to house physics department
- Renovation of Culler Hall as part of the Armstrong Student Center
- Construction of addition merging Culler Hall with the rest of the Armstrong Student Center
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The vision for the Armstrong Student Center is coming to life.
Energized by an imaginative architectural direction announced in fall 2009, planning for the 203,000 square-foot heart of the Miami Experience is unfolding in exciting directions. The Armstrong Student Center will be symbolically constructed in the center of campus – across Spring Street from the Shriver Center and bordering on Upham Hall and Bishop Woods to the north.
The project itself involves renovating Culler, Gaskill, and Rowan Halls and merging those three existing buildings with a new, central structure. Through the use of these existing structures, Miami not only unites its past with its future, it also realizes significant cost savings and environmental benefits.
A picture is worth a thousand words, so check out the building models to see the impressive exterior models of the Armstrong Student Center.
The project will be carried out in two phases, with Phase One including the renovations of Gaskill and Rowan Halls and the construction of the new central structure. Phase Two will take place once Miami’s physics department moves to a newly renovated Kreger Hall and involves the renovation of Culler Hall as the Armstrong Student Center’s final element. Phase One is targeted for completion by early 2014.
A Step Inside
Guests of the Armstrong Student Center will be welcomed via one of two distinct and dramatic entrances.
The western entrance – nearest the campus Hub – is a representation of Miami’s iconic Slant Walk. The open walk-way will be naturally lit by a soaring overhead skylight and will look down into the first-floor Commons. Its path curves into the towering Bicentennial Rotunda that acts as the Armstrong Student Center’s symbolic center, and leads into the two-story Center for Student Engagement and Leadership, as well as winding staircases to the first and third floors.
Due to the unique topography of the building site, students entering from the west will enter on the second floor. If they are passing through, they will be able to follow the Slant Walk continuation down a sweeping staircase and out the first-floor Spring Street entrance.
The Spring Street entrance, which will most often be utilized by prospective students and visitors, opens into the Shade Family Room within the current-day Rowan Hall. This Miami heritage room will be adorned to reflect Miami’s 200 years of history and tradition, while offering comfortable seating and an informal atmosphere for gathering, complete with a fireplace. The entrance provides access to a welcome center, The Theatre, and The Commons.
Signature Spaces
The Armstrong Student Center will provide a number of spaces that will add tremendously to the quality of campus life. Some of the most impressive are featured below, and you can also link directly to sketches and descriptions of some of the Armstrong Student Center’s signature spaces:
The Theatre – The Armstrong Student Center’s 500-seat theatre features an elegant layout, including balcony seating. It will play host to a variety of entertainment, ranging from movies to select student and professional artistic talent. It also will provide an impressive venue for hosting orientations and visiting students.
The Pavilion – This long-awaited event space is larger than the Shriver Center’s Multi-Purpose Rooms, and Miami’s students will have first priority. It will support banquet seating for more than 600 people and lecture style seating for 900. Its presence will draw many student events back to campus.
The Commons – The Commons is a place of community within the Armstrong Student Center. The large, open area provides ample informal seating for students who are grabbing a bite to eat or catching up over a cup of coffee between classes. Surrounding the Commons are five specialty food concepts, each featuring its own unique cuisine.
Center for Student Engagement and Leadership (SEAL) – This impressive two-story Center will house or provide meeting space for Miami’s more than 400 student-led groups. It includes conference rooms, small-group meeting spaces, and student offices.
Additionally, the Armstrong Student Center will provide numerous large lobbies to accommodate informal gatherings, small group meeting and conference rooms to meet the high demand for group study and project space, a non-denominational Ford Family Meditation and Reflection Room, and a circular wikkiaami Room, which celebrates the culture and heritage of the Miami Nation.
Take some time to explore the Armstrong Student Center floor plans and see all that the Armstrong Student Center has to offer.