Gwathmey Siegel & Associates
Tangeman University Center
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio

Photo courtesy Gwathmey Siegel & Associates

The new Student Center for the University of Cincinnati is part of a major building program to develop its central campus. It reflects the university's commitment to enrich students' educational experience by providing a vital focal point for campus social life.
The university wanted the new Student Center to maintain a continuity of image with the existing campus, expand the number and size of facilities currently available and bring natural light into the building's interior.

Computer image courtesy Gwathmey Siegel & Associates

The proposed design, with a skylit central atrium, student lounge with computer access, food court and dining area, a 200-seat movie theater, an expanded campus bookstore, amphitheater, a multi-purpose great hall, game room and cafe, is connected to the individual Schools by a system of gardens, terraces and covered walkways. A below ground system provides parking and service to each individual building.

Computer image courtesy Gwathmey Siegel & Associates

Computer image courtesy Gwathmey Siegel & Associates

Computer image courtesy Gwathmey Siegel & Associates

Responding to the University's desire for continuity, the student center incorporates key elements of the original 1935 building; a campus landmark. The Greek Revival facade facing the central commons, the original shed roof and its distinctive cupola are preserved and surrounded by a new glazed rotunda that offers three separate entries and views to the rest of the campus.

Computer image courtesy Gwathmey Siegel & Associates

The central circulation core at the rotunda, a three-story skylit atrium space, is created by cutting through the floors of the original building and stripping the central area to its structural elements. A large portion of the gabled roof is replaced by glazing that floods the atriumwith natural light. The original cupola, that hovers above, is visible from the atrium.

Computer image courtesy Gwathmey Siegel & Associates

The second floor of the rotunda houses a conference center with flexible meeting spaces arranged around the new atrium. Beneath the new skylight at the McMicken Commons level of the atrium, an open amphitheater provides a place for informal meetings and performances. Additionally, this level houses student lounges which include computer stations where students can work in an informal social setting. On the Main Street level, a student dining lounge offers students several dining options in the manner of a retail food court and is surrounded to the east by a two-story glazed wall that overlooks the sports stadium.
The dining facility is developed around a 200 seat theater, which occupies the bottom of the atrium with direct access off the new Main Street pedestrian promenade. The lower level of the student center houses a game room and provides access to the newly created Stadium Plaza.

The south wing houses the relocated campus bookstore, an upscale dining facility off McMicken Commons, the central campus kitchen, and a new Great Hall accommodating up to 1000 people for various events and ceremonies.

Drawing courtesy Gwathmey Siegel & Associate
Plan 1

Drawing courtesy Gwathmey Siegel & Associate
Plan 2

Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects
New York
Partners: Charles Gwathmey and Robert Siegel
Associate-in-Charge: Tom Levering
Project Architect: Greg Karn
Design Team: Ivan Zidarov, Yongseok John, Carl Weinbroer, Seungwook Kim.

Architects of Record:
GBBN Architects
Cincinnati, OH

Structural Engineer:
THPLimited Inc.
Cincinnati, OH

Mechanical Engineer:
Fosdick & Hilmer Consulting Engineers
Cincinnati, OH

Lighting Consultant:
Hillmann DiBernardo & Associates, Inc.,
New York, NY

Acoustic and Audio-Visual Consultant:
Harvey Marshall Berling, NY, NY

Food Service Consultant:
Thomas Ricca Associates,
Darnestown, MD