BDR served as the program manager for the Interdisciplinary Academic Building at Georgia Southern University. The 109,000 SF facility was a part of a large, concentrated effort to provide flexible teaching and learning spaces that facilitate campus-wide collaboration.
Programming also included a multi-functional lecture hall for campus-wide use, conveniently located on a major pedestrian walkway curving through the center of campus. The three-story building accommodates multiple learning styles and changing pedagogies. The facility brings together a cross-section of academic departments previously housed in temporary buildings, including the College of Fashion Merchandising and Apparel, Interior Design, and Nutrition and Food Science, all part of the Schools of Human Ecology, with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ Foreign Language, History, and Interdisciplinary Studies departments.
A flexible mix of interactive classrooms and lab spaces support the creative process. Specialized spaces include food science labs, nutrition labs, culinary labs, and practice kitchens. To showcase the building’s interdisciplinary activities, each department is encouraged to brand parts of the central public area. Open, collaborative spaces throughout the facility encourage knowledge sharing among faculty and students through presentations, informal teaching, and ad-hoc meetings.
BDR led the design and construction team to the completion of the construction documents inclusive of all desired program elements while adhering to The Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Construction Act of 2008 (Georgia Peach Program) and all on schedule and within budget.
