University of Alaska Anchorage @ University Center

Narratives

Architect Narrative

Once a viable shopping mall centrally located in this community of 250,000, the University Center Mall contained retail, food vendors, and a movie-theater, as well as grocery, drug, and department store anchors. The departure of the drugstore anchor tenant in the mid-1990’s triggered a “mass exodus” from the facility. By 1998, only a handful of tenants remained. The movie-theater and grocery store had closed. The University Center had become a mall-walker’s paradise—no customers, and no activity.

Simultaneously, the surrounding neighborhood experienced a renaissance. The strip mall across the street had become one of the city’s most popular hangouts. Down the street, a building notorious for failing restaurants had become our favorite joint for pizza and micro-brews. A 10-story office building went up, with a new “home-improvement” store nearby. Midtown was coming alive again—the University Center Mall however, was still dead. The state university system, recognized the value of this delapidated midtown property, and seized the opportunity to contribute to the momentum of midtown improvements.

Many of the Univerity’s career training and technical programs are spread across town, and have large numbers of adjunct faculty. Since academic space “on-campus” is at a premium, part of the vision for the University Center was to bring these programs together and house them under one roof. Redundancies in administrative support, storage, classrooms, technical resources, space, and could then be eliminated.

On-campus, Financial Aid/Accounting, and Enrollment Services/Registrar had been working to reinvent themselves. They visited other “one-stop-shop” models of providing student services and crafted a unified vision for their departments. The vision, which was incorporated into the design of the University Center remodel, suggested 3-tiers of service. At the first tier, students encounter a kiosk with trained information specialists. These specialists answer 80-90% of questions, or direct students to the 2nd tier—the nearby lounge and computer workstations. Difficult questions are referred to a third counter, served by all the various departments.

The renovation involved 1/3 of the mall area (approx. 92,000 sq feet). To accommodate the academic semester, design for this fast-track project began in mid-May of 2002, and required a turn-key delivery of spaces within a 6-7 month period.

The space was divided into four components: the south block, the north block, the dogleg (back entrance), and the former movie theater. The south block was allocated to faculty/offices, the north to classrooms/labs, the dogleg to light industrial classrooms, and the theater to the student service center. The former projection booth was converted to a mezzanine which overlooked the eastern portion of the theater space. Sloped floors were infilled, ceilings remained high at 20’, and windows were punched into the exterior wall—yielding an open, inviting, modular furniture environment, with a contemporary aesthetic.

The remaining academic spaces are planned to enliven the mall corridor, and allow light to fill the space. Large volumes step in and out, with expanses of storefront glazing between. Study carrels and bench seating are built-in to the space, and the tile floor demarcates points of interest and wayfinding. Colors are warm and golden, with bright accents, while perforated steel, and birch plywood add texture and emphasis at key areas. Carpet is subtly patterned in shades of green and gold.

Educator Narrative

Introduction

The University Center project focused on remodeling suburban retail space into modern administrative and instructional spaces for the University of Alaska Anchorage. The new facility, approximately 1.2 miles from the existing campus core, created space for the university’s student administrative functions - Financial Aid, Accounting, and Enrollment Services and the UAA Community and Technical College — applied technologies and workforce development programs.

University of Alaska Anchorage Community and Technical College
Applied Technologies & Workforce Development

Goals for the Environment: To integrate career and technical disciplines in a shared training center facility; expose students to career possibilities and pathways in high-tech fields of study that are crucial to the economic growth of the State of Alaska.

Lessons Learned:
1) Facilities follow program — the design of this facility came from key ideas about learning environments and course delivery in career & technical education.
2) Really listening to input from all parties — faculty, students, administration, and the public —at all phases of the project was crucial to the project’s success.
3) We focused on making the facility attractive and functional for a wide variety of students from adult learners, to traditional age students, to professionals seeking workforce training.
4) A balance of functional space priorities was required to accommodate academic, instructional, and faculty-student interaction needs.
5) The project enhanced the image of the academic program in the community. New, state-of-the-art space gave a higher profile and greater weight to the field of career & technical education at UAA.
6) When locating a building off the campus core, IT and transportation issues have a greater focus.

University of Alaska Anchorage Enrollment and Financial Services

Goals for the Environment: To create an accessible and customer friendly physical environment that facilitates a “one-stop shopping” service approach to delivering student administrative functions (Financial Aid, Accounting, and Enrollment Services) in a higher education setting. To accomplish this goal in a space formerly occupied by a former suburban six-plex movie theater.

Lessons Learned:
1) The service center was designed around “90-8-2” model where 90% of customers receive services electronically, 8% are provided services by front line generalists, and 2% require handling by an area specialist. Our services are currently more like 80-15-5 with progress being made toward the 90-8-2 target.
2) Accessible, attractive, user-friendly self serve computer stations have been very popular and successful. Having this area in direct line of site of the service kiosk has contributed to its success.
3) Students and the public report that accessibility to these services has been significantly enhanced. Co-location of the services provides an integrated approach to processes that is transparent to the student customer.
4) This service center has more than just a place to receive services; it has a real community feel.
5) The program and facility design support students who bring children, parents or others with them; the environment is very family friendly.
6) It is positive that the original “avenue of shops” methodology was rejected. By contrast, the “horse shoe” service delivery model works very well.