University of Iowa Seamans Center - South Annex Addition
The goals of this project were to dramatically improve the learning environment for students, relieve overcrowding, improve circulation and wayfinding, and modernize outdated facilities. Emphasis was placed on providing a formal and informal spaces to increase the sense of community within the student population and between students and faculty. The result is an array of break-out areas, group learning spaces, and a central atrium space that truly functions as the heart of the building. A new entrance plaza and rooftop terrace extend collaborative spaces beyond the building.
The Seamans Center has a history of adapting to growth. From its original construction in 1905 until current day there have be a total of eight additions. Most recently from 1998- 2001 Knutson completed the south addition and interior restructuring, which lead to the renaming of the building in honor of the Seamans family.
The Seamans Center South Annex addition project included over 68,000 SF of new space to the existing building. The four-story addition includes a state-of-the-art engineering design studio and fluids workshop. Space was also dedicated to student collaboration space, offering flexibility in research and learning.
Awards: 2018 AIA Iowa Design Award
Unique Project Features
Knutson was part of the modernization project from 1998-2001 and the same team of representatives from the University and Knutson were assembled to construct the South Annex Addition.
There are 234 photovoltaic solar panels on the roof with the capacity to produce 76,000kWH of energy per year and over 5,000 of green roofing, which reduces storm water runoff and conserves energy.
The new University of Iowa Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences – South Annex Addition has greatly assisted in meeting the high demands of the ever-increasing undergraduate enrollment. The University has experienced a growth of more than 75%, from 1,200 students in 2005 up to over 2,200 in 2015.