Campbell University, Oscar N. Harris Student Union

The new Oscar N. Harris Student Union returns a heartbeat to the heart of Campbell University. The building completes the historic Academic Circle and serves as a catalyst for the student experiences; centralizing opportunities for informal gatherings, dining, holistic wellness, Student Activities, and school spirit. The building’s open design encourages chance encounters and community connections. The brick entry façade responds to the campus context and then opens to large expanses of glazing on the Academic Circle’s interior quad with views from within the building into the landscape and at night view from the quad, highlighting the activity occurring within.  

The Student Union serves as the social and physical heart of student life.  Physically the building is situated along the Historic Academic Circle, aligned on axis with the most prominent building on campus, D. Rich Hall. The building site pulls together different segments of the existing campus with a strong visual presence from the main entry Leslie Campbell Avenue, adjacencies with Student Housing to the south, and John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center to the east. 
 
The brick entry façade integrates the design into the overall campus context before it opens to large expanses of glazing on the Academic Circle’s interior, with views from within the building into the landscape during the day and at night showcases student activity occurring within.  
 
The Student Union reenergizes the historic Academic Circle as it manifests the four tenants of student life at Campbell University: Food, Fellowship, Fitness, and Formation. The open plan visually connects individuals’, while offering a variety of spatial experiences ranging from quiet alcoves for studying to active fitness areas, boisterous banquet halls to focused lecture venues.  The focus on connection and engagements iterates at multiple scales creating a cohesive experience. 
 
The two-story 110,000 sf design incorporates several different program elements including a two-story fitness space with views from above, a student lounge and with quick snacks, a dining hall and student store on the lower level banquet halls, Student Activities, and a tiered lecture hall on the upper floors connected by a double-height lobby.  The program is woven together via views from one space to the next that unifies the community experience.