Details
Overview
The Northern Arizona University Dining Hall Expansion is sited on the east face of the existing Student Union, a central hub for student activity at NAU. The expansion was conceived as a viable alternative to increase the seating capacity of the congested Dining Hall. The Student Union was landlocked and had already reached the maximum allowable square footage for its construction type. The expansion was designed as a separate structure sited on an existing landscape island within the University’s central corridor with a pedestrian bridge that connected to the existing dining hall. This approach allowed for overflow dining seating on a second level with views of the San Francisco Mountains while maintaining critical pedestrian paths under the building. This strategy also allowed the expansion of the dining hall without adding to the existing buildings square footage. The building was shaped and formed around the existing circulation paths that govern the area giving the structure its wedge like appearance. Materials were selected with deep profiles and strong horizontal lines to help reinforce the idea of movement and contribute to a reducing the scale of the structure. Glazing was used strategically were it offered views and at the base of the structure where student activity and encounters to the pedestrian way could be promoted. The university chose a design build approach to implement this project given the 10 month schedule.
