The building’s materiality introduces a contrast to the campus’ established palette of materials. Terraces and retaining walls clad in light brick define the building’s base and relate to the adjacent student housing, while the top and accent areas feature large brown copper panels and glazed curtain walls. Laminated wooden panels provide shading and complement the large glazed facades. The extensive green roof is planted with a mix of sedums, providing foreground beauty to views form the student org spaces and from exterior terraces, as well as providing the benefit of increased insulation and a reduced heat island.

The design provides access from various campus networks. The main entry, positioned at a level segment of the main loop road, creates a prominent accessible transit drop off and a strong visual link to campus. Parking is multifunctional serving: drop in patrons, seasonal book sales, or campus celebrations. The main path from housing to the academic core was carefully graded to be accessible and easy for bicyclist travel while bike racks coincide with the building entries. Avoiding frequent service vehicle trips through the main campus, an existing hillside road was upgraded providing easy access for deliveries isolating service from pedestrians.

The site design includes the restoration of a prominent campus hillside disturbed by the prior installation of a campus service road. To this end, over 250’ of local stone was installed in a gabion retaining wall reintegrating prior, severe excavations and integrating materially with the building palette. Additionally over 350 trees were planted, both to re-forest the hillside and to define exterior terraces directly associated with building program spaces.