Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh: Alumni Welcome and Conference Center

  • 07/01/16
University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh: Alumni Welcome and Conference Center

PHOTOS © DON STOLLEY/STOLLEY STUDIO

The UW–Oshkosh Alumni Welcome and Conference Center serves as the new “front door” to the university, while also providing an enhanced conference and visitor’s center for the campus and extended Oshkosh communities. The 40,000-gross-squarefoot facility, designed by Uihlein/Wilson Architects of Milwaukee, houses UW–Oshkosh Alumni Relations, Foundation and Business Success Center offices.

The Center features a Campus Concierge desk area and Great Hall that serves as the first point of contact for visitors. The building offers a 430-seat divisible banquet hall with floor-to-ceiling windows and four breakout spaces that are designed for flexibility and for groups of up to 40 people.

Also included are over 7,000 square feet of new office space for the university’s Foundation, Alumni Relations, Phone-athon Center and Admissions Department. Interior office suites on the second floor are located along the building perimeter to maximize views, with the Alumni Relations office overlooking into the Great Hall to borrow daylight. A 40-person executive boardroom features state-of-the-art technology, and outdoor function areas including a roof deck, brick patio and gas fire pit. Use of regional materials throughout the exterior and interior finishes are key factors that contributed to the project’s LEED Gold certification.

Challenges the project presented included the construction of the foundations on piles, and accommodating the building program without a basement. The required volume of space for the banquet hall allowed for the mechanical spaces to be designed into a mezzanine space between the building’s two floors, which saved cost on overall size and exterior enclosure materials. Castellated beams spanning the banquet hall allowed for the integration of mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protections systems within the depth of structural frame and maximized the volume of the event space. Careful planning for required fire lane access helped preserve the pedestrian nature of this “building in the park.”

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.

  • Vanderbilt to Partner with ABM for Campus Preservation and Modernization

    Vanderbilt University recently announced that it has selected ABM Performance Solutions for a preservation and modernization project at its New York City campus, according to a news release. ABM will deliver its end-to-end ABM Performance Solutions (APS) model to manage critical operations during renovation and maintenance.

  • Utah Valley University Opens New Engineering Building

    Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, recently held a grand-opening ceremony for the new Scott M. Smith Engineering Building, according to a news release. The facility is one of the largest engineering buildings in the state at almost 200,000 square feet, and it plays home to the university’s Smith College of Engineering and Technology (SCET).

  • Zurn Elkay Releases 2025 Sustainability Report

    Zurn Elkay Water Solutions recently announced the release of its annual sustainability report, according to a news release. The 2025 report discusses the organization’s efforts to maintain good environmental stewardship and the solutions provided in helping customers meet sustainability goals.