The student services building at the University of Texas at Dallas plays a pivotal role in the university’s strategic plan to develop a cohesive and inviting academic environment. The building facilitates rich interaction among students, faculty and staff and creates a link to the community, supporting the institution’s goal of becoming a Tier 1 research university.

The building consolidates virtually all the departments that current and prospective students and their families need during the course of their relationship with the university. This includes offices for the Dean of Students, Bursar and Registrar, a career center, enrollment services, health and counseling centers, international student services, the multicultural and women’s centers and housing operations. Large areas of common space enable students to meet with advisors and staff and to work with each other in informal settings.

Our design concept is simple and elegant. It is a glass box wrapped with a louvered terra cotta screen that appears to be “floating” from various vantage points within the facility. Its 3-story lobby and a central atrium provide a welcoming public circulation space as well as a source of natural daylight for the office functions. A colonnaded porch shades the east side of the building and provides respite from the harsh Texas sun.

This is the first LEED Platinum project for the University of Texas system. It is expected to be 50 percent more efficient than the average of all buildings on campus.