We were thrilled to be awarded AIA South Carolina’s Merit Award for our work at Douthit Hills at Clemson University
Among the greatest strengths of The Hub is the benefit it delivers to
the student experience. The project was conceived to support projected growth
on campus and the opportunity was taken to be visionary. The entirety of the
Douthit Hills development represents a remarkable transformation for student
life at Clemson, and The Hub is the central piece.
The success of this project is tied to a close working relationship
between the client and the designer, with a consistent eye toward the end user.
This relationship allowed the vision for this building to clarify during the
design process. The project as initially imagined in the master plan needed to
be re-evaluated in a thoughtful way to provide the student experience desired.
There was great excitement
for this project, and the desire was to have a vibrant community that would
serve both upperclass and first-year students, while creating a new welcoming
gateway. This excitement was crucial to the success of the project, and it was
important to harness that excitement and use in the service of enhancing
student life on campus.
President Emeritus James F. Barker, FAIA took an early interest in the
planning process behind the precinct and the Hub in particular. His analogy
from a workshop, “They are designing the hole in the donut,” to explain the
light court in the center of the building that would serve as the nexus point
of the precinct was a clear and direct way to communicate the design to other
University stakeholders.
During the programming and design process, the design team and client
worked together to identify and prioritize what program might go in the
building to support the project financing and make the best use of the
university’s resources to have the greatest impact on student life. It became
clear in the design process that the best way to support students was to focus
on what was important to them, and what would create the most active community.
A focus on dining, wellness, and retail spaces provides a mix of uses and
interactions. Students may sit together at a communal dining table, or work-out
individually but together in a spin studio.
Now that it has opened, these meaningful student
interactions are currently taking place. The Hub is fulfilling its intended purpose
as place to gather and interact. Clemson students are able to access the best
in student life resources and are making these spaces their own.
