Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business

We responded to an RFQ/RFP process from Clemson University. The two-stage process included in-person interviews with the dean of the College of Business and key stakeholders.
 

The new College of Business building is a 170,000-square-foot facility over five levels, and includes classroom, faculty and staff offices, quiet and team study areas, and informal gathering spaces including a café and central atrium. The project is the first new academic building in 100 years on the historic campus core, and links new student residences with the academic heart of campus.
 

The fundamental concept for the project was to create a gathering space for students from throughout campus to enrich the social and academic experience of students within the College of Business. The adjacent historic landmarks on Bowman Field required a design that would be both forward-looking and a sympathetic neighbor.
 

In addition to its prominent “gateway” location on historic Bowman Field, the project sits at the base of a significant topographic hill leading to a new residential campus. The building was designed as two wings flanking a pedestrian “hillclimb” that directs student traffic through the heart of the building, with a central atrium opening directly to the steps and terraces of the hillclimb. It leverages site topography to create multiple “front door” opportunities on the first three levels of the building, engaging the surrounding context and amplifying the connections between internal programmed spaces and the broader campus.
 

The most significant evolution of the project was in the facade expression, which developed as a result of a rigorous analysis of the modulation and materiality of the surrounding historic landmarks on Bowman Field. 
 

One of the main features of the project was the incorporation of electrochromic glazing at the south face of the main atrium, which allowed for significant reductions in the design and capacity of the mechanical system, while also modulating glare. It has allowed the space to be bathed in daylight while reducing glare issues that the university had experienced on previous recent projects on campus.
 

The brick masonry on the exterior was selected as a result of a detailed analysis of the surrounding structures, creating a blend of colors which is unique to the College of Business but complements and blends with the existing historic buildings.

Email interview conducted by John Hill.