Faced with growing enrollment, increasing competition for high-performing students and a need for flexible, multifunctional space, Marian University sought to build a new student center that fits within the context of its urban Indianapolis campus and enhances the on-campus student experience.
Alumni Hall will serve as a signature project that builds on Marian’s campus master plan, functioning as gathering place for students, alumni, faculty and visitors while providing academic and social space for University programming.
A focal point of campus, Alumni Hall engages students with a curtain wall of windows overlooking the University’s main quad. Envisioned as a “living room” for students, the center will eventually connect to the main campus library and contains a banquet hall, a dining hall, a Starbucks coffee venue, a new campus bookstore, a full catering kitchen, and terrace areas with outdoor seating.
Designed with versatility in mind, the facility can be divided into smaller event rooms or serve as a large convocation space capable of seating approximately 325 people in a banquet setting. RATIO’s interior design team selected durable, movable furniture based on a “campfire“ concept that allows students to create their own environment for collaboration or individual work from numerous seating options.