Sue Walk Burnett Journalism & Student Media Center @ Kimpel Hall

Overview

“Congratulations to most especially, all of our students, who now have a wonderful, new home base on campus. The word that comes to mind, and this is coming since walking back and forth across the campus here is simply WOW… This is a great facility and I’m really impressed with the way that everything has come together and that the UATV Studio is just as impressive as anything professionals have anywhere. I especially love the way that it overlooks the campus here. This is a huge step forward for our journalism students, gathering all of our components under one roof – interacting and exchanging ideas will undoubtedly create opportunities that were simply not possible before. We work hard on this campus to promote collaboration, and I think this facility certainly accomplishes that great goal.” – University of Arkansas Chancellor Joseph Steinmetz

Undertaking a large spatial overhaul and addition of the 60 year old Kimpel Hall, MAHG and their Associate Architect, Dake Wells Architecture set out to evaluate staff and student requirements, develop a program and plan to reflect those needs, ultimately presenting a retrofitted classroom and office building with a state-of-the-art TV studio addition. As with any tenant infill or renovation, documentation, coordination and review of the proposed program were of paramount importance to provide the client with an updated and expanded school of journalism and media that they could be proud of. Extensive formal studies were also conducted to relate the envelope assembly of the new addition to the contextual buildings.

The new building was awarded LEED certification under the USGBC’s LEED NC V2009 rating system.