The University of Arizona, Student Union Memorial Center and Bookstore

The Student Union Memorial Center prominently anchors the main campus mall. It provides a focus for student activity in a design that contextually respects its campus neighbors. Each of the exterior facades responds to its immediate neighbors through materials, scale and rhythm.
Symbolically, the design references themes from the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor and from the desert Southwest. Although it never replicates nautical elements, the design refers to shapes of ship hulls, turrets, masts, sails, bridges and prows. In similar fashion, deeply shaded and tree-lined open air passages through the building combine with flowing water features to remind visitors of Southwest slot canyons.
Aligned with Mountain Avenue, the canyon feature provides the campus with a new north arrival zone, leading visitors through the union building into the heart of campus. Appropriate use of shading elements, low-e glazing, energy-management controls, daylighting, reclaimed water for irrigation and low-flow water fixtures help make this a sustainable design.

Additional Information

Other projects from this professional

Brighton High School

Design team Brian Parker (Project Executive); Scott Later (Project Manager); Tyson Stevens (Project...

University of Utah Kahlert Village Dining

Kahlert Village is the University of Utah’s newest on-campus residential community. It...

West Bountiful Elementary School

West Bountiful Elementary School has created an architectural icon for the Davis...

Dixie State University, Human Performance Center

Design Team Dixie State University Embodying its mission of “Active Learning, Active Life,” Dixie...

Load more