Program
Renovation of 7920-sf dining hall, food court and retail brands upgrade
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Solution
The vision was to open up the vast spaced for the new Marketplace and Van Houten Dining Hall at University Center. The marketplace design exposed the traditionally mysterious and hidden production of campus board plans by bringing freshly cooked food and ingredients into the public realm. This new kind of dining experience juxtaposed the abstract visual excitement of an urban bistro with the intimacy and community of a farmers market.
Van Houten housed three dining rooms, a convenience store, access office and dining services office. The South dining room, North Dining room and Main dining room totaling 7920 square feet is where the transformation took place. The board operation became more retail.
The design approach to the marketplace was create a dynamic and interactive space. The materials, forms, texture and color were thoughtfully fused in order to enhance and encourage a strong sense of place and community.
