Overland Partners, Inc.

Student Activity Center

Student Activity Center
© Chris Cooper

STUDENT ACTIVITY CENTER

Overland Partners + WTW Architects

CATEGORY
Student Hall

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS
Datum Gojer Engineers

LOCATION
Austin, United States

PHOTOGRAPHS
Chris Cooper, Fernando Ortega, Florian Holzherr, Paul Bardagjy

YEAR
2011

INTERIOR DESIGN
Studio 8 Architects

AREA
156000 ft²

MEP ENGINEERS
HMG & Associates

DESIGN TEAM
Rick Archer, Michelle Stedman, Jim Taylor, Frederick Williams, Fernando Ortega, Joshua Newton, Carolyn Warren, Rebecca Schenker

CIVIL ENGINEERS
Davcar Engineering

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
Hood Design

CONTRACTOR
SpawGlass Contractors

Student Activity Center
© Chris Cooper
Student Activity Center
© Chris Cooper

Text description provided by architect.

A result of sixty years of student lobbying, the Student Activity Center at the University of Texas at Austin is fundamentally a place built for and by the student body. The SAC challenges the traditional campus paradigm of a building performing a single dedicated function.

Student Activity Center
© Chris Cooper
Student Activity Center
© Paul Bardagjy

With an incredibly diverse program, the SAC is a student union that functions like a micro-campus and features a 5,000-SF ballroom, a 500-seat auditorium, a black box theater, 12 student conference/meeting rooms, student organization offices, a student government chamber, dining areas, dance and theater rehearsal spaces, and flexible meeting spaces.

The need for additional dedicated Liberal Arts space emerged during the planning process; thus two additional floors of research labs and office spaces for the College of Liberal Arts were incorporated into the overall design and are connected to the adjacent Liberal Arts Building via a sky bridge.

Addressing the lack of middle-scale outdoor spaces on campus, the project integrates over 46,000 SF of landscaped courtyards fitted with electrical outlets and wireless internet, creating places for dining, studying, and gathering outdoors nearly year round in the moderate Central Texas climate.

The Color Inside, a “Skyspace” by world-renowned artist James Turrell, is located on the rooftop terrace and provides students a space for quiet reflection throughout the day.

Student Activity Center
© Florian Holzherr
Student Activity Center
© Florian Holzherr

Integrating low-tech, high-impact solutions, the SAC is a new interpretation of timeless building traditions and a contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional campus architecture.

The simple forms and clean lines distinguish it, yet the limestone walls and red tile roof unite it with the existing campus buildings and master plan.

Tucked behind a mature oak grove, the building features abundant glazing that, along with its narrow footprint, maximizes daylighting and provides a visual connection to the surrounding landscape.

Student Activity Center
© Chris Cooper
Student Activity Center
© Chris Cooper
Student Activity Center
© Chris Cooper
Student Activity Center
© Chris Cooper

The building incorporates openings along opposite facades to harness natural ventilation. Above-grade cisterns collect rainwater for landscape irrigation and distribute water throughout the site to make any rain event a “celebration.”

Student Activity Center
© Chris Cooper
Student Activity Center
© Chris Cooper
Student Activity Center
© Chris Cooper

The project also maximizes the use of outdoor space by exhausting relief air to condition balconies and terraces, improving user comfort during the hottest and coldest months. The combined strategies led to LEED Gold certification.

However, SAC’s most sustainable aspect is that is used by 15,000 students daily and has transformed a portion of UT-Austin’s East Mall into the “campus living-room.”

Student Activity Center
© Paul Bardagjy


Student Activity Center
© Paul Bardagjy
Student Activity Center
© Paul Bardagjy
Student Activity Center
© Fernando Ortega
Student Activity Center
© Paul Bardagjy


Student Activity Center
Section

Student Activity Center
Section


Student Activity Center
Floor Plan
Student Activity Center
Floor Plan
Student Activity Center
Floor Plan
Student Activity Center
Floor Plan


Student Activity Center
Sketch

Overland Partners, Inc.
T +1 210 8297003 F +1 210 8290844
Overland Partners, Inc.
203 E Jones Ave UNIT 104, San Antonio, TX 78215, United States