University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh: Alumni Welcome and Conference Center

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

  • University of Kentucky Sees Positive Results from Energy Efficiency Program

    The University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., recently announced the results of its Energy Program in Facilities Management, put into place eight years ago, according to a news release. Between the fiscal years of 2017 and 2025, the university’s campus grew by 13.6% while the energy use per square foot dropped by 19.2%.

  • Springfield Breaks Ground on $53.7M Pipkin Middle School Rebuild

    Construction is underway on a new, state-of-the-art Pipkin Middle School in Springfield, Mo., a major step in Springfield Public Schools’ (SPS) long-term facility improvement plan, according to local news. The $53.7-million project officially broke ground in early June, following years of planning and community input aimed at modernizing aging infrastructure and addressing student capacity concerns.

  • Uvalde Schools Receive AI Security Technology through Grant Program

    AI-powered gun detection and emergency response technology solutions provider Omnilert recently launched the Save Haven Grant program, according to a news release. The first recipient of the grant, aimed specifically at schools that have faced gun violence, will be the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (Uvalde CISD) in Uvalde, Texas.

  • Pittsburgh High School Upgrades Athletics Facilities’ Technology

    Plum Senior High School in Pittsburgh, Penn., recently partnered with South-Dakota-based Daktronics through the We’re All Mustangs Here Foundation to upgrade the technology in its athletics facilities, according to a news release. Daktronics designed, built, and installed new LED video displays and finished the project in time for the beginning of the 2025 high-school football season.

Digital Edition