Student Success District, University of Arizona

2024 Design Awards Merit Recipient

Student Success District, University of Arizona

The Student Success District at the University of Arizona is a groundbreaking addition to the University’s urban fabric, strengthening connections between new and existing structures, activating underutilized spaces both indoors and out, and prioritizing the student experience. This complex project redefines and revitalizes the Main Library and the Bear Down Gymnasium, reorients the entry to the Weaver Science-Engineering Library, and merges them with the new 55,000 SF Bartlett Center for Academic Success.

Envisioned as a unified and universally accessible space that broadens the definition of student support, the District brings together the university’s commitment to academic and research excellence, student support, health and wellness, and the preparation students need to become leaders in the modern workplace. Completed in the spring of 2022, the Student Success District is the place that drives students’ 24/7 development through an array of student support services and spaces based on collaborative, hands-on learning with deep technological engagement.

//comments

This is an extraordinarily complex program and site, and the way the architects responded to the creation of new places for students is admirable. This is a great place-making project, a really innovative uplift and reimagining of place. The old and new, inside and outside work well together.

//framework for design excellence measures

Measure 1: Design for Integration

Prior to this project, three important buildings along the Mall at the heart of campus operated as independent, isolated silos. The existing buildings on site spanned 95 years of history, each with a different use, architectural style, grade connection, and floor-to-floor height. Functionally & physically disconnected from one another, the programs within these buildings were hamstrung by a series of band-aid solutions to accommodate evolving programs over the years resulting in interior experiences that felt isolated and were plagued with universal design challenges.

By adding new entries on all sides of each building and connecting exterior grades to create a fully accessible landscape, students can now move freely among the district, creating a porosity that enables each building to effortlessly breathe in and out of each other. Outdoor patios and walkways become more than connections between buildings; they provide unique spaces for everything from collaboration to meditation. The design of the district creates cohesion resulting from the treatment of the surrounding spaces and landscape, the seamless interior/exterior passageway through each building, and the aesthetic consistencies of the interiors, with an emphasis on clear wayfinding and the use of vibrant color to promote a sense of belonging and equity.

Economy is also a core performance measure for this project. La Fénix is an efficiently designed and durable building with a focus on supporting the local economy. The Energy performance of this project centers on responding to the building’s microclimate, ensuring occupant comfort and control, and creating a high-performing building envelope.

Measure 2: Design for Equitable Communities

The University serves a diverse range of students from traditionally underrepresented communities, including the Navajo Nation. Many of these are first-generation students who come from family and community backgrounds unable to provide the support that many traditional students take for granted. The programs housed within the District support and prepare students for academic success and develop important life skills necessary for post-graduation success. The physical layout of the District responds to this inclusivity by with open and welcoming buildings and landscape, catering to students who are actively seeking services and welcoming those who may simply be passing through.

Measure 3: Design for Ecosystems

The University of Arizona lies in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, one of the driest environments in the country, with extremely hot summers and little relief from the sun due to the spare indigenous vegetation that gives little shade. Responding to the unique nature of this place, the landscape between the buildings is planted with native drought-tolerant species and shade structures at the connection points between buildings offer relief from the harsh sun and comfortable outdoor study spaces. The interior finishes reference the vivid colors found in the landscape, and the moments of oasis in the desert.

Measure 4: Design for Water

The district is situated in an extreme water deprived landscape as Tucson averages only 11” of rain per year. The layout of the district takes advantage of two significant paseos that run between the buildings, designed with a palette of drought tolerant indigenous plantings and dry streams appropriate to the arid desert environment. During the infrequent but deluging storm events, the open arroyos collect stormwater, mitigating flash flooding and directing precious water resources to enhance vegetation to promote shade for outdoor programming and respite. Areas requiring irrigation utilize recycled water, resulting in a 78% reduction compared to baseline.

Measure 5: Design for Economy

The UofA chose to deliver this project using the progressive design-build delivery method, enabling the design team, the contractor, and the owner to co-create a program ands scope that aligned with project budget. Three of the four buildings in the District were repurposed, setting the stage for the reimagining of these heavily used but underutilized spaces in the heart of the campus. High impact decisions, such as linking Bear Down Gym and the Bartlett Center through exterior bridges rather than an enclosed atrium not only reduced overall project costs but also increased district connectivity through activated exterior paseos.

Measure 6: Design for Energy

The renovation projects focused on lowering energy demands through increased daylighting, comprehensive lighting upgrades, and upgraded mechanical systems. Daylighting was enhanced through targeted envelope upgrades and reprogramming to remove perimeter private office space and make access to daylight and views more equitable for all building users. Taking advantage of the flexibility of new construction, the Bartlett Center utilized a high performing building envelope with optimized orientation and shading to achieve 25% betterment over the LEED Baseline. All buildings are powered by electricity from purchased solar and wind energy, resulting in a 70% reduction in GHG from a comparable baseline.

Measure 7: Design for Well-Being

The goal of the District is to reach all students who are enrolled at the university, regardless of background, ability, or level of need. By providing a variety space types the district, any student can find a comfortable place to study, connect, and find the services they need to thrive. Guided by a holistic vision of wellness- academic, social, spiritual, intellectual, physical, environmental, and emotional, the district creates a physical environment that supports well-being in all aspects of student life by including places for study, tutoring, career and financial support, physical fitness, prayer, meditation, and integration in nature.

Measure 8: Design for Resources

The reuse of three existing buildings greatly reduced the need for energy intensive extraction and production of new materials, reducing the overall embodied carbon footprint of the district. Transforming these structures allowed the University to retain important cultural histories and extended the lifespan of these aging facilities another 50-100 years. Materials reduction strategies included the use of fly ash in concrete, elimination of added finishes where acoustically appropriate, and the reuse of the historic gym floor in Bear Down. Spaces were designed with flexibility in mind, allowing programs and uses to adapt over time without the need for extensive renovation.

Measure 9: Design for Change

Early in the design process, the team recognized that programs, spaces, and environments delivered on day one would undoubtedly need to adapt as the needs for the programs within the District continued to grow and evolve in the coming years. Highly flexible, multi-use spaces designed to accommodate changing needs became an integral design driver early in the planning process. Cayalyst Studios, within the Main Library, was designed to adapt to evolving pedagogies, with movable furniture that enables students to create their own learning environment and infrastructure that allows for equipment and technology to be easily updated over time.

Measure 10: Design for Discovery

With student mobility increasingly moving learning outside of the traditional classroom, the design team found opportunities to take advantage of informal areas and circulation eddies for student study, interaction, and collaboration. Nooks and alcoves for seating provide space for students to wait before class or have a follow-up conversation with other students or a professor after class. Vertical cuts in the floors of each of the district buildings create unique spatial conditions accommodating various activities, including a large seating stair within the Main Library that can be used as a unique place to study or a venue for performance.