Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Emory University: Emory Student Center

  • 10/01/19
Emory University 

TOP/MIDDLE/BOTTOM RIGHT PHOTOS © KAY HINTON
TOP LEFT/MIDDLE PHOTOS © ANN WATSON, EMORY PHOTO/VIDEO EMORY PHOTO/VIDEO
EXTERIOR PHOTOS COURTESY OF DUDA|PAINE ARCHITECTS

The new Emory Student Center (ESC) on the campus of Emory University in Atlanta opened its doors in May. The innovative 130,000-square-foot facility houses an array of student-centered features including a high-tech gaming and recreation lounge; a spacious new food center; a convenience store; and innovative spaces for studying, collaboration, and student engagement.

In addition to providing a central location for student-centered services, the facility contains a large multipurpose space which can morph from a series of six meeting rooms into a sweeping ballroom that can hold up to 1,400 guests, with overflow space for another 200.

The ESC is separated into two distinct pavilions, connected by a windowed walkway. The south pavilion houses office space, the dining commons, and lounges. The north pavilion offers additional office space and lounges, storage space for clubs, and a multipurpose room large enough to seat a class together. To mitigate the project’s tremendous scale for the carefully curated context of Emory’s campus, Duda|Paine Architects positioned large portions of the building underground. This allowed tremendous synergies for operations and back-of-house functions to ensure a seamless student-side experience with striking aesthetics.

The central and highly visible placement of the building’s welcome desk within the design’s transparent, prismatic pavilions supports the desire to activate many campus pathways as means of entry rather than a single main entrance.

A sunshade canopy unifies the individual pavilions that together accommodate growing demand for student-oriented amenities, flexible dining, and space for student organizations, socializing, and gathering.

Duda|Paine worked with Emory University, Emory’s Office of Sustainable Initiatives (OSI) and with consultants Pattern R+D, Ecoworks, IMEG, and MHTN Architects throughout the design process to integrate elements and features that would further OSI guidelines. The facility is the first building on Emory’s campus to receive LEED Platinum certification.

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management October 2019 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • University of Illinois Moves Forward with College Sports’ Largest Digital Scoreboard

    The University of Illinois in Champaign, Ill., recently announced a series of upgrades to Gies Memorial Stadium that will include the largest scoreboard in college sports, according to a news release.

  • 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.

  • California School District Completes Elementary School Modernization

    The San Diego Unified School District in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting for a whole-site modernization of Pacific Beach Elementary School, according to local news. The school first opened with one building in 1930 and added six more between 1938 and 1957.

  • How a Portable Sink Helped an Art Classroom Run More Smoothly

    Classroom design decisions can have outsized effects on instructional time and safety at schools juggling mismatched infrastructure, strict budgets, and crowded schedules — particularly in the arts. Between spilled paint and dirty brushes, art classes run smoother with a sink in the studio. But many schools don’t have a sink in every art classroom.