CannonDesign has completed a new student center at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. Replacing the university’s Bernhard Center, the new three-level building contains gathering and lounge spaces, dining, a bookstore, a future on-campus brewpub, and retail, designed as a “beacon of inclusion,” according to the team.

“Located on lands historically occupied by Ojibwe, Odawa, and Bodewadmi nations, the building is designed to be a student-centered gathering place that champions belonging and honors the roots of Native American heritage embedded throughout the site,” the team notes.

The building’s 163,000-square-foot plan was designed to create “interstitial opportunities” for students to informally engage with each other. Student feedback influenced the design of various social elements, such as a sitting circle derived from Native American culture. Across the scheme, an emphasis on curved walls and circular rooms seeks to further promote an “atmosphere of belonging.”

The material palette for the ground floor features Coldwater Shale to mirror the bedrock of the region while, above, the middle level is wrapped in glass with exposed columns, “mimicking the experience of walking through a Michigan forest.” The upper level features gold fins that fan out from the facade, providing sun protection while reflecting cutouts that mimic a tree canopy shadow onto the exterior glass and into the interior spaces.

At the center of the facility, an atrium is described as the “heart” of the student hub, with a timber material palette and skylight seeking to reflect Michigan’s cedar forests. Designed as a multi-functional space, the atrium contains seating areas, performance spaces, and flexible zones.

The scheme is one of several recently completed campus projects to feature in our editorial. Last month, CAW Architects completed an Oakland urban farm project capable of delivering 30,000 school meals, while LMN completed an overhaul of the Buxton Center in the Pacific Northwest. Late last year, SOM completed a new engineering and science building at Rice University, while the Louis Kahn-designed Graduate Theological Union building in Berkeley reopened following a two-year renovation.