Charles Rose Architects, Inc.

Muenster University Center

Muenster University Center
© John Linden

MUENSTER UNIVERSITY CENTER

Charles Rose Architects Inc.

LOCATION
Vermillion, United States

PROJECT YEAR
2009

CATEGORY
University

Text description provided by the architects.

Charles Rose Architect’s first design for USD was a business school that won a national competition in 2001.

Muenster University Center
© John Linden
Muenster University Center
© John Linden

That project gave us a detailed understanding of USD’s need for dynamic architecture that could help energize and reorder the campus.

The Muenster University Center was our second USD commission. It is sited on a new quadrangle we created by moving a parking lot.

Because of its leading role in campus life, we gave the student center a prominent position at USD’s north portal, where it borders a historic pedestrian mall.

Muenster University Center
© John Linden
Muenster University Center
© John Linden
Muenster University Center
© John Linden

The mall, which we renovated, is a central axis of circulation and links the student center with “Old Main,” the heart of the campus.

We also connected the student center with the library by constructing a covered glass structure dubbed the “link lab.”

Muenster University Center
© John Linden
Muenster University Center
© John Linden

This computer lab permits easy movement between buildings during frigid winters; from the outside, the lab’s glass walls create transparency between the quadrangle and pedestrian mall.

The student center’s exterior is quartzite, the same stone cladding for Old Main—and quarried from the same regional source.

Muenster University Center
© John Linden
Muenster University Center
© John Linden

Notable features include the second-story ballroom that gestures boldly toward Old Main; beneath this prominent overhang is a terrace for outside dining. Inside, we created a wide central path through the building; students can perch on the balcony above in comfortable sitting areas.

Muenster University Center
© John Linden
Muenster University Center
© John Linden


Muenster University Center
© John Linden
Muenster University Center
Plan

Charles Rose Architects, Inc.
T +1 617 6285033
Charles Rose Architects, Inc.
115 Willow Ave, Somerville, MA 02144, United States