IUPUI Campus Center, Part 2: Amenities

On Tuesday, I looked at the architecture of the IUPUI Campus Center. Mostly, I looked at the big picture: how the building looks from the outside and how the building looks in the main hall/entry space. But a building can't be a success unless it is able to function.

And this building has all sorts of functions. Let's look at it from top to bottom:

4th Floor: Conference and gathering spaces
The biggest space on the fourth floor is the multi-purpose room. It can hold 1,000 people in a theater setting, but it has the ability to be split up into multiple rooms. But it also is detailed and finished well enough to be used in a ballroom setting for formal functions.

There are several meeting rooms, like this one, on the fourth floor. There is also a patio gathering space, which I will show you in part 3 of my review.

3rd Floor: Offices and meeting spaces
There are additional, smaller meeting rooms on the 3rd floor. Also located on the third floor are offices for the Dean of Students as well as a large space for student organizations, which will also be covered in part 3.
One of the neatest spaces on the third floor is the quiet lounge. While most spaces are open and free flowing, the quiet lounge is enclosed, free of televisions or other distractions. It is a place that allows students to really focus. And it sticks out from the hallway over the entry hall space.

2nd Floor: Student services and admissions

As you move further down, the spaces are more public and are frequented more greatly by students, staff, and visitors. The 2nd floor becomes a bit of a "mall", housing essential services for students and staffs. Additionally, the admissions office is housed here, acting as the first stop for prospective students. But guess what: I'll talk more about that space later.
There is a cultural arts gallery, which is basically a big open space that can be used for displays of any sort.

Offices like the registrar or financial aid has offices that front the hallway. Very open and accessible.

There are other services available, including a credit union and a post office. Plus, there is a sandwich shop and a coffee shop with seating that overlooks the food court space.

1st Floor: Dining and Shopping
There is a large food court in the Campus Center with a variety of cuisines and seating space along a large south window. I went at lunch and this is certainly a well used space.
Seating above and below.

The space between the food court and the seating.

Another look at the seating space.

The food court itself. I had Chinese. It was good.

And there is a college bookstore, which is managed by Barnes and Noble.

They have textbooks plus a selection of items from a traditional retail bookstore. There is a large selection of IUPUI Jaguars gear, from shirts and sweatshirts to hats and pennants. And, of course, what Barnes and Noble would be complete without a Starbucks?

Basement: The Theater Level
The basement is the recreation activities floor of the campus center. The most visible space, from any floor in fact, is the TV lounge.

There is plenty of comfortable seating and several flat screen TV's. There is also a game room nearby.

But what floor could be called the "Theater Level" without a theater? Well, there is one.

Or there will be one. It isn't finished; it is just a shell of a space. But it looks to be a box theater with seating on three sides. There will also be adjacent practice spaces. But that will come in the future. When money is found or donated. But in my mind, this city could always use more theater spaces.

If you can't make it to the Campus Center, you can get a feel for the building's layout on their website.

My third and final part on the IUPUI Campus Center will focus on "The Cube", the use of graphics and signage, and some design details. And I will give my final commentary on this building.