LS3P’s Design of the USC Alumni Center Rises to New Heights
August 3, 2014
COLUMBIA, SC – The new USC Alumni Center, designed by LS3P and the first permanent Alumni Center in the university’s 200 year history, held a “topping out” ceremony on July 31st to celebrate the placement of the last steel beam. The Center, rising from the ground on a prominent corner in Columbia’s Vista, broke ground in November of 2013. LS3P is working with LCK, the Owner’s Representative, on this new Alumni Center, which provides a significant improvement to this most visible and viable corner in the heart of the Vista area.
Located at the corner of Senate and Lincoln Streets, the building’s red brick façade responds to the historic character of the Vista. It also evokes strong aesthetic ties to USC’s historic campus buildings as articulated in the arched window openings and corniced pediments with embedded images and 1801 date. A vertical rotunda entry in a lighter brick color reinforces the main entry. Incorporating the iconic gated entryways, similar to those at the entry into the Horseshoe, allows for immediate recognition that this is indeed a University of South Carolina building. The Alumni Center will also act as a new gateway from the Vista to USC’s Innovista Campus, the new Darla Moore School of Business, and the greater campus beyond.
McCrory/Retenbach is the CM at Risk for the new 3-story, 61,000 square foot facility. The design includes ballroom facilities, meeting rooms, a new Board Room for the USC Board of Trustees, a 100-seat Presidential Dining Room, and both indoor and outdoor event space. A patio will connect to a new sidewalk along Lincoln Street, creating a vibrant addition to the street life along Lincoln.
The interior design reflects the history and tradition of the university, featuring a grand stairway in the entry lobby and a welcoming environment for all visitors and alumni to enjoy; a place to gather, a place to celebrate, a place to call “home.” The Alumni Center incorporates a number of sustainable design strategies including the use of local brick, low-VOC finishes, high-performance systems, and materials with recycled content. The design earned the “Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR” certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The Alumni Center is scheduled to open in the summer of 2015.
LS3P
LS3P’s Columbia office is celebrating its 10 year anniversary in 2014. A design firm with regional roots and a national reach, LS3P operates from its 6 offices in Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville, SC and Charlotte, Raleigh and Wilmington, NC, providing architecture, interior architecture, and planning services. LS3P is deeply committed to the communities in which it serves, with over 400 design awards in diverse practice areas. LS3P was named Southeast Design Firm of the Year for 2014 by Engineering News Record (ENR). For more information on LS3P, visit www.ls3p.com.
