[LJC Design & Engineering]

The University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis (formerly named St. Louis College of Pharmacy) developed a strategic plan to position itself as a global leader in pharmacy education, collaborative research, and patient centered care. Attracting and retaining acclaimed faculty and bright students was paramount to the success of that mission. LJC understood that the new Recreation and Student Center (RAS) was a key to growing its student population by reinvesting in the urban campus located in a growing academic medical center. The vibrant, walkable, and transit oriented CWE neighborhood supports the student oriented building as a model of identity for the campus.

A hub of collaborative spaces connected by a vertical landscape of themed stairs integrates diverse programs at the corner in an expression of visible activity. This public space is wrapped in glass as part of a strategic gradation of materials that define the skin of the building. This iconic addition to campus has led to increased enrollment and investment in the program.

The building seamlessly fuses a wide-range of uses, while honoring the critical divisions between quiet study and active collaboration, restful sleep and athletic activity. The stairs provide primary movement throughout, connecting floors, dividing and uniting uses, and bringing together students and staff at a prominent bend in the building. The resulting collaboration space is surrounded by windows and awash in natural light, drawing occupants to the core, moving students up and down, and serving as a natural gathering space for all within. The articulation of windows and light transform the interior uses from open, bright, and public to more private and quiet spaces.

Spanning seven stories, the RAS includes the university’s Fitness Center, Student Center, Practice Gymnasium, and Conference Center stacked on top of dining spaces and an NAIA basketball gymnasium on the lowest floors. The top two floors are reserved for freshman student housing, featuring dorms with customizable furniture plus quiet and social spaces. The array of uses and the unique character embodied by each floor and space is expertly tied together in a manner that delivers a cohesive design that feels simple, natural, and true.