Spokane’s emerging University District – located directly east of downtown – is envisioned to offer an unmatched combination of higher education opportunities, innovative residential and retail neighborhoods, and a dynamic connection to the city’s regional medical district. Its emphasis on growth in the technology and healthcare fields will fuel economic prosperity not only for the city, but for the entire region, attracting prominent faculty members, researchers and entrepreneurs.At the literal and figurative center of the University District is the Washington State University Riverpoint Higher Education Campus. Occupying over 48 acres south of the Spokane River and north of the Burlington Northern railroad mainline, the Riverpoint Campus continues to develop at an ever increasing rate. The 2000 Campus Master Plan identified a number of key concepts for this growth: a central pedestrian mall around which the buildings are organized, Y-shaped pedestrian links that lead to the Spokane River, diagonal view corridors extending southeast to Main and Riverside avenues, re-vegetation of the riparian corridor along the Spokane River, and campus gateways to help orient visitors.As a catalyst for these key concepts and to provide a true anchor project for the Master Plan, the Academic Center was located at the north end of the aforementioned central pedestrian mall. It effectively acts as a terminus for this mall, occupying the physical and symbolic center of the campus. With student services, other student activities, the library and administrative offices, this building is the first point of contact with WSU Spokane for many people. The central location provides clear orientation for students and visitors. It was this strategic location on campus and that of the larger University District that drove many design decisions for this building. An overall sense of permanence, durability and timelessness was essential for a building occupying this vital location. The building must display these qualities in its everyday life; indeed, it should tell this story to every occupant and end user.Cast-in-place concrete was chosen as the structure for the building not only for its obvious structural capabilities, but just as significantly for its inherent ability to convey the design concept. The design team felt the building’s structure should be seen and experienced – in a way telling the story of the building itself. As such, the concrete is exposed to illustrate the structure, and also to employ it as a durable, elegant finish material.A sense of permanence and timelessness is experienced immediately upon entering the Academic Center, whose main entry opens dramatically to a lobby soaring three stories. The contrast between the natural concrete columns and beams and the sophisticated maple paneling and glass railings emphasizes the important story of the building’s structure. In the library space, the exposed structure is further accentuated, echoing the gentle curve of the north exterior wall, and drawing attention internally to the building’s principal function as the central campus library.Beyond providing replacement space for programs previously occupying leased or temporary space, the Academic Center also provides area for new programs, expansion of programs currently offered at the Riverpoint Campus, and space for relocation of programs from WSU in Pullman. Convenience, collaboration, cooperation and resource-sharing opportunities are fostered by the appropriate consolidation of functions within the Academic Center. As the prime focal point of the Riverpoint Campus, the Academic Center is destined to serve many generations of WSU students, providing central campus access within a single facility and reinforcing the identity and presence of higher education in Spokane.