The New Center for Student Services is a Sustainable Gateway for Boston University

<a href="http://www.bu.edu">Boston University’s</a> new <a href="http://www.bu.edu/today/2012/center-for-student-services-open-for-business/">Center for Student Services</a> is now complete! Times sure have changed from when college cafeterias were full of John Belushi-type characters starting food fights, and when student unions were run-down buildings where students staged political protests. BU's sparkling new student center, designed by Bruner/Cott &amp; Associates, will be a prominent gateway building for the BU campus at Kenmore Square.

The building itself serves as a building that can blur the line between the historic, brick townhouses in the Back Bay community and the modern buildings around Fenway Park and Kenmore Square.

The building is respectful by utilizing traditional masonry material and continuing the rhythm and geometry of the familiar neighborhood façade. But a glass tower extends beyond the façade to reveal the modern flare of this new building, where new materiality is layered in volumes behind the masonry.

This wonderful wooden staircase is just one of many staircases throughout the facility. It serves as an architecturally impressive centerpiece for the lounge and meeting areas on the third through sixth floors.

Two floors, almost 46,000 square-feet, is dedicated to campus dining, and the state of the art full-service cafeterias and cafes will help create a color atmosphere of restaurant dining for BU students.

Private meeting rooms allow for students to study and meet with freedom. The College of Arts and Sciences provides programs for students to be a part of on the upper floors of this building.

Window walls in strategic places provide much needed daylighting to help with the energy-efficiency of the building.

The top four floors will house the Educational Resources Center (ERC), the Center for Career Development (CCD).

Views of the Back Bay neighborhood can be seen from many of the rooms in the Student Center. The vibrant community provides great eye-candy for students while they study and meet in between classes.

The Marciano Center for Student Services was designed using Eco-friendly materials and many energy-efficient systems. Skylights and daylighting help to enhance stairwells and lobbies.

This $46 million facility was built with an eye on sustainability. The building is said to be 20% more energy efficient than most new construction and features such innovation as a green roof, a sustainable cooling system of chilled beams, and creative trash and composting services.

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