2008 Facility Design of Excellence Award
Association of College Unions International (ACUI)

2008 Green Design Award
College Planning & Management

2008 Outstanding Project Award, Educational Interiors
American School & University (AS&U)

2007 Award of Excellence and Design
Associated Builders & Contractors of Tennessee

LEED Gold Certified

The new Commons Center is the second major building to be completed by Bruner/Cott on the Vanderbilt campus. It is part of the University’s larger undergraduate student living-learning initiative and was designed to support a community of ten college houses as well as achieve LEED Silver certification. The new building serves as the primary dining hall and community square of this campus-within-a-campus. The program includes a 600-seat main dining hall, its supporting servery and production facility, a 24-hour Commons Café, multiple lounge spaces for both intimate and larger get-togethers, a fitness facility, academic support center, post office, meeting rooms, and administrative offices.

The context of the Commons being adjacent to a National Register collection of Classical Revival 1920’s buildings arranged along a very formal UVA-type lawn drove a definite style of the building. After a healthy collaboration with Bruner/Cott, the University reached consensus that materials needed to match the existing brick and stone of the surrounding structures, but that the building forms and composition of the Commons Center could convey a more contemporary feel. The results successfully balance the blend of classical and modern thru the use of softening details (inset brick work, molded trim pieces) integrated into a boldly simple blocking of basic forms.

In the early stages of the project, students and the campus community were invited to participate in several open working sessions held specifically to solicit input and reactions to what was billed as a mini-student union plus dining center. These open planning sessions helped greatly with the programming and design of the building, and students strongly supported the mandate for LEED compliance.

The Commons Center is LEED gold certified, and was recently featured in GreenSource, FoodService Director, and the ACUI Bulletin magazines, and was recently featured on the NACUFS website.