Sharwin Smith Center

In our line of work, a revolution happens with every project. And for the Sharwan Smith Center at Southern Utah University, the name of the revolution was deconstruction. Breaking apart the kitchens to create food vignettes allowed us to pepper the dining space with deli counters, pizza ovens, and salad bars amidst the varied seating options.

The previous dining experience was disjointed, with a separate space walled off from the auditorium-esque cafeteria. A fresh break came when we removed the wall and added two new food concepts. This brought with it a few challenges—as all revolutions do—such as the undocumented water lines crisscrossing underfoot that needed to be moved. Similar challenges with budget and an oversized entryway became opportunities for our creativity to go to work.

We pulled the colors for this project straight out of the Utah mountains; medium wood and copper tones, reds and oranges, and even blacks and browns from the mountain stone itself. It was a happy coincidence, then, that SUU’s own red and black were able to be given prominent placement. And we used leathers, wood planks, and copper-metal sheathing to add the accent colors without being ostentatious. You can see more clever uses of color with other projects in our portfolio section online.

With every build, we look for ways to add a special touch perfectly suited for that location. With SUU, it was the two community tables we created using live-edge wood slabs and a custom metal “mountainscape” rising out from the center of each. These masterpieces were a client favorite and have become a choice spot for most of the students who frequent the dining hall.

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