University of Georgia Tate Student Center

Athens, Georgia

The Tate Student Center expansion and renovation is a central component in the ongoing development of the University of Georgia’s Campus Central Precinct. The project included renovation of the existing 100,000-SF student center, a 95,000-SF addition, and a 500-space parking deck integrated with landscaped plaza. The addition contains a 12,000-SF multipurpose room, meeting rooms, two-story commons area, cafeteria, food court, dining and banquet facilities, retail operations, and a new campus quad which integrates the project into the campus fabric. The project includes a subterranean cistern to conserve water. The parking deck, expansion, and renovation work was performed concurrently. The parking deck opened in August, 2008, while construction continued on the building above until May 2009. Renovation was phased with individual areas taken offline, allowing the building to remain open throughout construction. Renovation work included adding sprinklers to the entire building, relocating the student radio station, replacing the theater marquee, information desk and other elements in the main open space to more closely relate to the expansion, connecting the expansion to the existing building on two levels, and transforming the existing multipurpose space into a dynamic two-story office space for student organizations. The project also included a pedestrian bridge connecting across Georgia Quad to the Zell B. Miller Learning Center.