Completion Date: 2013
Square Footage: 70,000 - New; 100,000 - Renovation
LEED Gold Targeted

This significant student life project expands and completely renovates the original 140,000 square foot student union that was designed in 1967 by the renowned modernist architect Ernest Kump. San Jose State's overriding project goal is to reinvigorate student life on the downtown San Jose campus by enhancing programs and activity space to serve the diverse student body and growing on-campus residential population; creating a more open, lively presence on campus and upgrading the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and data systems.

Our design solution is both contemporary and contextual; weaving old and new environments into a single, unified center for student life. Using the existing cast concrete structure as a visual anchor, new wings on the east and west add lightness and transparency to the building's composition. The soaring skylit atrium, carved into the core of the original structure, brings light deep into the building and public gathering spaces surrounding the atrium.

The student union provides 24/7 access with flexible meeting spaces and appealing retail services to enhance the student experience and promote broader student outreach. Program areas include food services, event rooms, ballroom and meeting rooms, bookstore, recreation center, lounge spaces, theater and a 350-seat lecture hall at the base level of the 3-story east expansion.

New glazing, a palette of warm interior materials and a revitalized atrium space transforms the original building into a 21st-century beacon of student life.