Nebraska’s Midland University receives a new ‘kitchen table’ courtesy KWK Architects

The new Eikmeier Commons, the final stage of Midland University’s $1.5 million Olson Student Center dining hall, has been described by donors as a “kitchen table” for the Nebraska campus. The Eikmeier Commons makes use of the Olson Student Center’s under-utilized 4,700-sf lower level.

The KWK Architects-designed space added 75 built-in seats surrounding solid surface countertops to support the Warrior Grille and provides soft-seating for flexibility and group gathering.The space also includes dimmable LED fixtures, 22 television monitors, a game area, and a performance stage featuring a stone surround fireplace. Two new conference rooms and an ADA-compliant restroom are also included.

The goal of the new space was to create somewhere for Midland students to gather and connect while not in the classroom or participating in any extracurricular activities. In addition to KWK Architects, the project also included Fremont Electric (electrical contractor) and All Systems Inc. (mechanical contractor).

In September 2021, Penn reopened its renovated and expanded library as an open center for cross-disciplinary learning, prototyping, and collaboration. Now called Biotech Commons, the 17,000-sf building supports new modes of research by offering a range of spaces and services that is free to be scheduled by any student or faculty member.

University Buildings | Feb 17, 2022

A vacated school in St. Louis is turned into a center where suppliers exchange ideas

In 1871, The Carondelet School, designed by Frederick William Raeder, opened to educate more than 400 children of laborers and manufacturers in St. Louis. The building is getting a second lease on life, as it has undergone a $2 million renovation by goBRANDgo!, a marketing firm for the manufacturing and industrial sectors.

University Buildings | Feb 15, 2022

Ohio University's Chilled Water Plant #3 brings high design to a campus utility

Leers Weinzapfel Associates has also designed chiller plants on the campuses of Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, Tufts University, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Harvard University’s Allston Campus, and the Ohio State University.