Mississippi State University developed a program to create a new multi-purpose classroom building with integrated parking as an inviting, welcoming, student-oriented facility and to expand the Central Mechanical Cooling Plant. MSU requested this non-departmental education building reflect the character of the iconic Old Main dormitory, the largest campus dormitory in the US at the time, and to fit into the traditional campus environment. The site is located at a main public entry to the central historic core of campus adjacent to the Student Union, Cafeteria, and other core campus facilities, and as such, is intended to act as a gateway to campus. Through a series of site studies, it was demonstrated that setting the building back from the street with a landscaped front lawn serves to create the necessary sense of entry as well as manage the scale and volume of the building within the existing historic fabric. The amphitheater and ADA vertical site circulation that was carved into the existing grade to mediate a 40’ grade change interconnects the new building with the existing historic core of campus. The two lowest levels of parking accommodate 147 parking spaces, and the three upper levels house 90,000 square feet of classroom space. The parking deck is partially below grade, taking advantage of site topography while still being open on two sides for fresh air and daylight. The classroom levels contain a range of undedicated and flexible classroom sizes, equipped with advanced technology to accommodate multiple teaching and learning requirements for approximately 2,000 students and associated faculty. These rooms range from small group study rooms to large lecture and auditorium spaces. The building was designed through all facets of its components to meet energy efficiency requirements adopted by President Keenum signing the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment on April 22, 2009, beating ASHRAE 90.1 by 30%.
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