The challenge was rooted in a contradiction:
design a state-of-the-art student union in a new 16th century Spanish Renaissance envelope. The USD
campus while constructed in the 1950s is unique in that it is entirely based on
a historic antecedent. The architects were asked to renovate the Hahn Center
[75,000-sf] and add a new compatible 76,000-sf Student Life Pavilion including
a grand dining hall, health-food market, student offices, game room and
lounges. The solution engages a difficult steep site with a central courtyard
that acts as a natural chimney to cool the entire building, which was
instrumental in achieving a LEED Gold certificate.