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Located at the heart of campus, the University of Kentucky’s Gatton Student Center was originally constructed in 1938. Despite numerous architectural interventions over the years, the sprawling building lacked the charisma and programs necessary for student recruitment and retention, which is a huge priority for the university. The structure also read as incomprehensible, disconnected pieces in desperate need of cohesion and purpose. Luckily, the familiar center maintained enough architectural value for renovation and expansion to accommodate the growing university population.
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Leading the design team and partnering with Perkins + Will of Atlanta, we conducted an immersive and collaborative process involving students, faculty, staff, and administrators selected for a steering committee. We began with a series of all-day charettes and workshops to uncover the university’s vision. We also engaged over 100 campus representatives and users. We quickly learned that the university needed to attract students to a gathering space that was immediately accessible, comfortable, and easy to navigate.
By adding clear entrances and inviting interior and exterior seating zones, including a large-scale social stair, the center becomes a space for social interactions, collaboration, and chance encounters. The now-iconic bronze sculpture of UK’s beloved Wildcat mascot is the perfect place for students and visitors to take a selfie with pride.
Additional amenities include a 300-seat movie theater, recreational spaces, and the renovated historic Alumni Gym, which required an artful approach to the design of its adaptive reuse.
In addition to social spaces, the updated student center features functional program areas such as administration and student organization offices, meeting and conference rooms, and a Barnes & Noble bookstore — the largest on any campus in the nation at the time of construction — which includes a Starbucks Coffee shop.
Champions Kitchen is a focal point of the student center, offering a wide array of national-brand retail restaurants where students can enjoy high-quality meals. Upon its completion in 2018, Champions Kitchen had a seating capacity of approximately 627. However, an unanticipated and unprecedented uptick in enrollment the following semester prompted the immediate construction of a dining expansion. We increased seating capacity to 1,106 visitors with indoor and outdoor seating options. A stand-alone catering kitchen also provides meal production, staging, and service for functions within the Student Center and other campus locations.
Together, the new Gatton Student Center and Alumni Gym have become a central hub for students, faculty, staff, and visitors alike. From socializing and grabbing a latte to attending an event and meeting a study group, the buildings are central to the university’s growth and attraction.
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