Cooper Carry has designed the new University Center for Mercer University at their Macon, Georgia campus. The 244,000 square-foot facility was designed to combine student, administrative and athletic functions. Collectively, the center will include an arena, an indoor pool, three intramural courts, an elevated running track, a multipurpose room, a heritage hall, fitness rooms, administration offices, locker facilities, dining and social facilities. It will house all seven of Mercer’s NCAA athletic programs, its intramural athletic facilities, and the medical college’s wellness program. The 3,800-seat multipurpose arena will be capable of hosting convocations, basketball and volleyball games, concerts, etc. The retail-dining suite will feature brands such as Chick-fil-A and Subway, among others. A large coffee shop adjacent to the dining center will provide a social destination
for students.

Form and function
Cooper Carry Education Studio Associate Director Rick Fredlund, who led the project,
said his team employed different design approaches for the interior and exterior of the facility. “The exterior of the center is designed to complement the traditional Mercer aesthetic—it features towers with arched windows, and brick and cast stone accents designed to complement the architectural character of the original buildings on campus. Because of the size of the facility, the massing is broken down into smaller components to better reflect the scale of surrounding structures.” 

Fredlund also recognized that—because of its multi-purposed use—the interior needed a more modern feel. “We designed a sky lit, tree-lined avenue that runs down the middle of the University Center. It creates a kind of indoor promenade
and helps orient students and faculty within the center. The glass walls alongside the avenue offer views into the various archways.”

The interior finishes express the superior quality—and sustainability—of the facility. Floors consist of ceramic tile, hardwood, various sports surfaces and carpet; walls consist of impact resistant drywall, synthetic stone, masonry and ceramic tile. These finishes will require minimum maintenance and prolong the life of the facility.

The evolution of an idea
Cooper Carry was originally engaged by Mercer’s President and planning committee to design its convocation center. The footprint required for a structure
of that size meant that a masterplan was needed to organize the University’s strategic goals.

“We presented concepts for a campuswide masterplan,” says Fredlund. “The idea was to transform the entire campus and create the inclusive, pedestrian-friendly environment the university ultimately wanted. The University Center became the centerpiece of the masterplan, folding the convocation needs into a larger, multi-purposed facility.”

The masterplan—embraced by university administration—reconfigured the campus into four precincts: a Historic Quad, a Resident Village, an Academic Commons and an Athletic Complex. In so doing, the masterplan addressed several urban issues the university faced. Built in a residential area of Macon, Mercer was crisscrossed by streets and avenues. By sealing off the old interior streets,
Cooper Carry relocated automobile traffic to the perimeter of campus, opening
up the center of the campus with pedestrian-friendly, tree-lined paths. Brick replaced asphalt to create the student promenades.

The masterplan also relocated the entirety of fraternity row to a new area of campus—within the masterplan’s Resident Village. Infill housing was added to optimize the housing district. The new University Center was built where the old fraternity row had been, giving it a central position on the campus.

The University Center at Mercer is set to open in January 2004.