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Coolness may be the most elusive of qualities — in product design, in interior design,
in individual personality. But when university students embrace a design, it’s a
pretty good indication that it’s cool.
Design Challenge
Once an administration building, the new student center stands in the center of
campus. Its transformation to its new purpose is indicative of MUSC's "total
commitment to students," according to George Dawson, the university’s Facilities
Design Engineer.
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Medical University of
South Carolina
Case Study
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As evidence of that commitment, Dawson worked side-by-side with a student government
committee, which had final say on design decisions. "We were involved with
selecting everything, right down to colors and chair styles and fabrics," according
to Alex Whitley, president of the Student Government Association.
The mutual mission, according to Dawson, was "to take a 1970s building and
bring it into the 21st century."
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Interaction between students was also an objective. The university includes six
distinct colleges, including not just a medical school, but also colleges of nursing,
dental medicine, pharmacy, health professions and graduate studies.
According to Whitley, there was little interaction in the past between students
in different programs. "Our student government has been emphatic about trying
to cross those boundaries," he notes. "Health care is a team effort. The
more we interact, the better the care will be."
At least on this project, students across disciplines and administration worked
with gratifying harmony toward their goal for a gathering space. Together, they
strove to secure approval from preservation authorities in historic Charleston,
South Carolina, the university’s hometown. Finally, a year and a half after beginning
the project, the students had their gathering place — exciting, welcoming and undeniably
cool.
The Kimball Office Solution
In keeping with a circular design theme, the design team chose Delano partly for
its round bolsters. The leather-clad seats with Espresso wood finish hold their
own in an active interior, with grape, russet, brick red and green notes throughout.
"This (new student center) surpasses any goals that I had or that I could imagine,"
says Dr.Whitley. "It’s so great to sit here and study — and to see all the
different disciplines’ students together."
Project Team: George Dawson, Facilities Design Engineer and Alex Whitley, Ph.D.,
Student Government Association President, MUSC; Cassia Jenkins, Moseley Architects;
Clyde Smith, Millers of Charleston.
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