With a $12/sf budget, the challenge was to transform a banal basement in the campus union into an engaging social space for students, faculty and visitors. Two sinuous partitions inserted into the space establish hierarchies that define intimate, social and active spaces. Rather than relying on a literal use of the school’s bear mascot, the solution uses the translucent, amber-colored qualities of honey, a favorite bear treat, to connect its users to the school’s identity. Translucent acrylic panels are lit by amber fluorescent lights mounted to waxed steel armatures. Each partition is further articulated by varying heights to reveal views of the space allowing it to be monitored by a single person at the check-in desk. Waxed steel shelves mark social nodes and add utility to the partitions.Salvaged light fixtures are reorganized to reinforce the hierarchy of spaces along with exposure of the building’s structure in the “honeycomb.”
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