UT School of Nursing – Lobby Renovation

For the School of Nursing on the University of Texas at Austin campus, they were looking to revamp their existing entrance lobby along Red River St. to reflect a welcoming and altruistic atmosphere. This lobby space is the first impression of the school and is where the faculty, staff, and students want to host various events for donors and school organizations. The renovated lobby is laid out with a central entry vestibule as the main focal point and is flanked by two seating areas. A modern security desk is immediately across from the entry vestibule and the School of Nursing logo on the new terrazzo welcomes students in from the vestibule.

Haddon+Cowan was tasked with renovating the main entry of the lobby which involved expanding the entry vestibule and replacing the entire wall of floor to ceiling windows just north of the vestibule. To the south of the vestibule, the lobby was expanded and a new seating area and video screen were installed that showcases various activities that are happening within the School of Nursing. Once through the vestibule, the main security received a re-design with modern touches while keeping the security of the students and staff a top priority. Lastly, artwork was commissioned by the school to create a wall focal point in the double height seating space just north of the vestibule.

The challenges with this project were expanding the vestibule and lobby under the existing conditions of waterproofing and existing structure. These conditions were solved with close coordination with the contractor and architect and were resolved quickly as to not delay the project. Although there were a couple challenges, the project was a success with the client being immensely happy with the outcome where they have a space to enjoy and host events and prospective students as intended.