Western Michigan University Student Center

CannonDesign · Kalamazoo, Michigan

The Western Michigan University Student Center in Kalamazoo replaces the Bernhard Center with 162,000 square feet of dining, lounges, a ballroom, the campus bookstore as well as the welcome center.  CannonDesign drew on the region’s bedrock for the stone base and wrapped the upper floors in gold fins, their cutouts casting the shadow of a tree canopy across the glass.  Inside, curved walls and circular rooms take their cue from the Native American sitting circle, and a cedar-lined atrium known as the Heart rises from the Gathering Stair to the skylights.  When we arrived on site, it rained for the first day and a half, so we focused on the interiors while we waited for the sun.  On the final day, we were blessed with a scant few hours of sunshine.  The photographs went on to win a 2024 Architecture MasterPrize.

Featured in ArchDaily, Archinect as well as World Architecture.  The project was an Interior Design Best of Year finalist and received an honorable mention in the Chicago Athenaeum International Architecture Awards, both in 2024.

Western Michigan University Student Center at dusk, its gold perforated fins glowing above a landscaped garden with a pond and the moon overhead, Kalamazoo
Curved corner of the Western Michigan University Student Center at blue hour, lit gold fins wrapping the glass above a column-supported entry
Rounded end of the Western Michigan University Student Center in early morning sun, gold cutout fins beside a large shade tree, Kalamazoo
Long facade of the Western Michigan University Student Center with gold fins in late-day light as a runner crosses the plaza
Gold perforated fins along the upper floor of the Western Michigan University Student Center above a glass ground floor and planted lawn
Close view of the Western Michigan University Student Center gold fins with tree-canopy cutouts above glass and dark stone-textured base
Student walking past the Western Michigan University Student Center, its gold fins cantilevered above a concrete wall and lawn
Western Michigan University Student Center with its white curved canopy on gold columns, students walking along the landscaped path
Western Michigan University Student Center across a broad lawn, gold-finned upper floor, white canopy and terraced steps
Path curving toward the Western Michigan University Student Center beneath a large tree, gold fins above the lower glass level
Gold fins of the Western Michigan University Student Center cascading overhead beside the glass wall, with tall grasses in the foreground
The Heart at the Western Michigan University Student Center, a cedar-lined atrium with the Gathering Stair rising to an oval skylight
Lounge seating in bright colors beneath the curved cedar balcony of the Western Michigan University Student Center atrium
Sunlight casting diagonal shadows across the cedar stair walls of the Western Michigan University Student Center as two students climb
Students sitting on the terraced cedar Gathering Stair with colorful cushions at the Western Michigan University Student Center
Looking up the Gathering Stair at the Western Michigan University Student Center toward curved cedar soffits and a long skylight
Looking straight up through the Western Michigan University Student Center atrium, curved cedar and white bands framing the skylight