Written by: Tiffany Westry
Need more info? Contact us
The UAB Hill Student Center, designed by Herrington Architects/Hastings & Chivetta Architects, has received the 2017 Merit Award by the Birmingham chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The design was recognized during the organization’s annual Design Awards ceremony June 22.
The awards were created to celebrate the best of local architecture and honor the architects, clients, consultants and contractors who work together to improve the built environment.
Built in 1983, the original Hill University Center, named after former UAB President S. Richardson Hill, was demolished in 2013 to make way for a new and improved facility. Some elements of the original Hill Center remain. The original underground structural columns of the old building were used to support the new building, and recurring brick features are reminiscent of the old building. A plaque dedicated to Hill featuring a bust of his likeness hangs in the new building as it did in the original. UAB’s Facilities Planning, Design and Construction team managed the project during construction of the building.
The new Hill Student Center, completed in 2015, features 162,000 square feet of space for student activities, gatherings and services, and provides meeting, conference and auditorium space; student organization spaces; upgraded dining facilities, including Full Moon Bar-B-Que, Mein Bowl, Starbucks and Panera Bread; a ballroom that can be divided into four sections; a stadium-style theater; a two-story bookstore; a technology store; the Campus Visit Center; and the One-Stop Student Service center for admissions, course registration, student accounting, parking, financial aid and student ID functions.