University Technology & Learning Center
Lawrence Technological University
Southfield, Mich.
Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects

Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects provides an iconic building to uplift a campus and mark a dramatic new entryway

By John Gallagher

© Justin Maconochie

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

Lawrence Technological University (LTU) is a 5,000-student school in Southfield, Michigan, north of Detroit. Founded in 1932, the school is best known for its architecture and engineering programs, but offers more than 40 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, including management, science, and liberal arts.

While the school's programs command respect, until recently its 115-acre campus left much to be desired. Several key buildings, including the low-rise brick structures that housed the architecture and engineering schools, looked dated and undersized. The main campus entrance off West Ten Mile Road lacked ceremony and actually cut through what passed for the school's quadrangle as it continued through the campus. Infiltrated and surrounded by cars, the campus leaked space, and much of its visual energy and social cohesion dissipated.

An opportunity to upgrade came in the late 1990s, when LTU moved ahead to create a new building to house its architectural studios. The program quickly expanded to house engineering studios as well as meeting space for LTU's other disciplines. The building was to be sited off West Ten Mile Road and would be the first encountered when entering the campus, creating the potential to redefine the entire LTU campus experience.

LTU wanted a building that would hold generous—and technologically state-of-the-art—studios for graduate and undergraduate design students. It also needed an audio-visual lab, a large amphitheater-style lecture hall, and a gallery to show off the work of students, faculty, visiting professors, and artists. Above all, LTU wanted a signature facility that would be the largest academic building the school had ever created.

After a spirited competition, the university chose Gwathmey Siegel & Associates of New York, working with Southfield-based Neumann/Smith & Associates, as the design team for the $20 million, four-story, 85,000-square-foot Technology and Learning Complex. Lead designer Charles Gwathmey created a strong linear building that defines the south edge of the quad and is punctuated by dramatic geometric shapes and volumes. The south facade is articulated with a linear window fenestration with projected sunscreens. The north facade, fronting the quad, reveals three levels of circulation galleries with floor-to-ceiling glass, as well as the two-story main gallery space, projecting out from the exterior as a circular volume.

A porte cochere on the south wall evokes Eliel Saarinen's famed Peristyle at the nearby Cranbrook Educational Community. In effect, the overall building consists of east and west sections linked by a bridge over the open-air portal below. While designed for both visual and ambulatory connection with the rest of campus, this open-air patio has quickly evolved into spillover space for receptions taking place inside the lobby, as well as a site for large sculptural installations.

The road that had formally bisected the campus has now been rerouted toward the southern and western edge of the campus, leaving the newly reformulated quad free of cars for the first time. All of a sudden, LTU looks and feels like a real campus. In addition, a series of just-completed new dormitories not far from the Gwathmey building enhances this campus effect.

Student architects, of course, like to create a certain amount of organized chaos in their studios, and at LTU's new building, formal and informal critique sessions often spill out into hallways and little nooks and crannies. Gwathmey says this was both expected and intended in a building that he designed as a neutral backdrop for such activities.

See the November 2003 issue of Architectural Record for full story.

Formal name of Project:
University Technology & Learning Center
Lawrence Technological University

Location:
Southfield, Mich.

Gross square footage:
85,000 sq. ft.

Total construction cost:
$20 million

Owner:
Lawrence Technological University
Dr. Charles Chambers, President

Architect:
Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects
475 Tenth Avenue
New York, NY 10018
Tel: 212-947-1240
Fax: 212-967-0890
www.gwathmey-siegel.com