Birmingham, Alabama

UAB Honors College

Architecture| Interior Design| Landscape Architecture

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Client

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Contractor

Construction Services Group, LLC

Size

11,314 square feet

Services Provided

Architecture
Interior Design
Landscape Architecture

The University of Alabama at Birmingham, one of the Southeast’s premier universities, has become world-renowned for providing high-quality education and developing leaders in their respective fields. One of the most prestigious programs within the school is the UAB Honors College.

In an effort to promote the growing need for world-class educational facilities and to steward existing buildings on campus, GMC was selected to transform an existing campus bookstore and an under-utilized corner of campus into extended space for the UAB Honors College. GMC incorporated an outdoor seating area that serves not only to control the thermal condition of the building, but also provide a place for community life. It not only provides much needed shaded exterior space, but also acts as a campus landmark. In addition, an abundance of glass was incorporated to the north end to allow for activities happening within the walls of the Honors College to be on display for the rest of campus.

Sustainability features

Honors Hall is LEED ID+C certified for Interior Design and Construction, which features indoor spaces that reduce stress on the environment by generating less waste and lowering the use of energy, water and other resources. This effort reduces the operational life cost of the building, thus promoting long term sustainability for efficient energy use in building operations.

The Honors College has made careful material selection a priority. LEED credit was awarded for prioritizing materials that have environmentally, economically and socially preferable life-cycle impacts. An example includes materials that have Health Product Declarations, declaring the presence or absence of known carcinogens in materials that allowed the design team to make informed choices during the construction process.

The adaptive reuse of the former Snoozy’s bookstore not only preserved a sense of place but reduced construction and demolition waste compared to a new building. The location choice conserves land, saves energy and resources and preserves the historical heritage of the building within the context of UAB’s campus.

Honors Hall has an energy-efficient roof, which reflects sunlight and discharges heat effectively. This aids in mitigating the urban heat island effect and helps keep the indoor spaces comfortable.

High-efficiency “flow” and “flush” fixtures within Honors Hall help reduce the supply of potable water needed to serve the needs of occupants. Potable water use is anticipated to be reduced by 35 percent below code-requirements.

Fixture layout and smart selection of lighting fixtures within Honors Hall are anticipated to reduce the lighting power density by more than 20 percent below Birmingham’s governing energy code allowances.