Student | Classroom

The state-of-the-art teaching facility houses the University of Utah’s College of Education, the Tanner Dance Program and College of Fine Arts. Additionally it features a new collaborative research area and new faculty and administrative offices for the College of Education. The space promotes cross-disciplinary collaboration through a well-conceived dynamic framework for bringing people together in a vibrant and inspiring setting. A single circulation spine connects the building’s entrances and public gathering areas, resulting in an internal "street" supporting meeting, socializing, dining and studying. Transparent to both indoor and outdoor activities, the street’s walls expose a vibrant culture of shared community. 

The design was informed by the University’s Climate Action Plan and – through careful planning and design -- achieves over 40 percent savings on energy usage over typical facilities of its kind. Alongside classrooms and offices, the facility's spaces include rehearsal studios, rehearsal/performance space, visual arts studios, costume design and fabrication shop, technology-supported classroom spaces and large multipurpose/lecture space.

Melding tradition with modernity, we balanced dedicated spaces with fundamental science education and adaptable layouts to provide a hub for scientific education, exploration and collaboration. To prepare students for the challenges of the future, we took great care in our design of specialized chemistry, biology and bio-tech, tools and nature lab spaces. 

Outdoor classroom and a dedicated computer science space further the capacity to support diverse educational pursuits and hands-on learning experiences. Advancing the “Building-As-Teacher” concept, we exposed and color-coded piping in classrooms to explain fluid movement throughout the building, fostering a connection between the building and students’ learning experiences.

An inclusive space shaped by the students themselves, the Student Commons unites the entire Waterford community. As a dedicated gathering area, it fosters student expression, curiosity and stewardship by providing spaces for ownership, display and study. The multi-functional, Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) structure serves as a welcoming “front door” to the rest of the campus. Our design for the all-electric building aligns with school values to to help reduce Salt Lake Valley air pollution.

EDA collaborated with Cannon Design to design a nationally-acclaimed transformational, educational live-work experience for student entrepreneurs, innovators and creators at the University of Utah. The LEED Gold design expresses and encourages the live-work entrepreneurial spirit through solutions such as the 20,000 SF Neeleman Hangar innovation space on the ground floor, 15,000 SF of garage-style “maker” spaces on all five levels and a variety of housing options for its 400 student residents. The solution, inspired by the turn-of-the-century converted industrial spaces, includes a building’s flexible grid system allows the University to reconfigure rooms and expand the innovation hangar as students’ needs change. The space enables entrepreneurship, facilitating connection between students of different disciplines to collaborate on products and companies throughout their residence. 

The extensive 92,000-square-foot North Tower of the Henry Eyring Chemistry Building (HEB) renovation is unfolding in a carefully planned sequence of nine phases. Transforming HEB into a cutting-edge facility for teaching and chemistry research lab began with our leading a comprehensive facility master plan that meticulously assessed the capacities of the existing architectural, structural, mechanical and electrical infrastructure, The master plan documented the existing conditions and capacities while outlining recommended time frames through a proposed sequencing of design and construction phases and a map detailing the relocation of existing occupants to facilitate the execution of each phase. Our phased design and construction approach ensures that the facility can continue to operate smoothly during the renovation process with minimal disruptions to ongoing activities and services.

EDA's feasibility study and master plan focused on developing a 40-acre greenfield for a regional campus. As part of an initial visioning session, the project stakeholders and design team collectively decided the future Moab campus will have regionally appropriate architectural character, letting the site qualities define the character of the development. EDA developed the conceptual plan, materials palette and donor graphics.

The 50-year horizon Vineyard Campus Master Plan envisions an entirely new campus on over 200 acres of land in Vineyard Utah previously used as a steel mill. During a year-long discovery process, our team identified main challenges as connectivity between the new and Orem campuses, maintaining the academic integrity of the Orem campus and fostering a sense of community with neighbors of the university during this period of growth. Opportunities we explored include expanding the growing colleges and student programs, space to enlarge student life activities and land for public/private partnerships to enhance learning. 

Accommodating over 20,000 visitors a year, the Education Center supports the environmental education mission and programs of the Nature Center. Its purpose is to serve as a gateway to the nature preserve and a tool to expand awareness of possibilities related to a more sustainable relationship between the built and natural environment. The building serves as a “teacher.” It incorporates a variety of environmentally sustainable materials and systems, interpreted through a range of passive and interactive exhibits. Special features include straw-bale/earthen plaster walls, salvage lumber, displacement evaporative cooling, radiant flooring, heat chimney and natural/adaptive artificial lighting. One hundred percent of the building’s energy is supplied by roof-mounted photovoltaics. Based on our site analysis, the building and fenestration orientation allows for the collection of solar energy. Shielded from the sun during the summer, the building captures beneficial breezes and protects the courtyard areas from the canyon winds emerging from the east.  Spaces developed for the facility include a foyer with an interpretive gallery, classrooms for environmental study, six offices for teachers / naturalists, gift and book shop, meeting spaces and a volunteer room with an adjacent volunteer coordinator’s office. The central two-story gallery space is flanked by lean-to wings are sheltered by planted roots.

Originally built in 1937, Ogden High School is one of the best examples of Art Deco architecture in Utah.
The thoughtful multi-phased renovation and restoration of this landmark building included comprehensive programming, master planning and design services to transform it into a state-of-the-art learning environment. The renovation included restoring the historic auditorium, seismic upgrade and strategic exterior repairs. Additions to the facility included a new multi-floor athletic center, cafeteria and common space expansion, a cutting-edge science center and performing arts center. The design for these additions played off the symmetry, axial disposition and articulation of the original Art Deco design. The new athletic center stands on the major axis of the original building, defining a fourth corner of the new outdoor quad. A transparent curtain of glass encloses the new commons space, providing views to the quad and the mountains east of the campus.

From pre-planning and programming to design and construction phases, our Science Team orchestrated a comprehensive transformation of the existing third-floor teaching labs support a range of academic needs. Our solution focused on developing learning environments conducive to the instruction of smaller class sizes (around 25 students). The revamped space provides efficient lab support for wet lab research activities, with dedicated areas for preparation and storage. The introduction of Lab Coordinator work areas enhanced overall operational efficiency. In response to the evolving landscape of educational technology, the Audio/Visual infrastructure supports both in-place and long-distance instruction, aligning with the growing demands for flexible and technologically advanced learning environments.

EDA’s design for the K-2 Center expresses the principle of building as teacher. Through its architecture, the building educates students about the surrounding natural environment, incorporating elements that illustrate sustainable strategies unique to the school’s location at the mouth of Weber Canyon. Here, the same strong down-canyon winds that inspired the school’s mascot, a windjammer sailing ship, animate a design theme of “wind, water and sky.” The building incorporates renewable energy, natural daylighting strategies, passive heating and ventilation, water conservation and reuse, and material resource efficiency, among others. Unique elements include periscopes (i.e. light wells), wind turbines, photovoltaics and a solar hot water array.

Sited at the gateway to the University of Utah’s health science corridor, EDA’s design connects the new building to the existing Skaggs Hall via an atrium. The resulting L.S. Skaggs Pharmacy Research Institute – with its deep recesses and dramatic cantilevers – is a striking yet complementary addition to the University’s health science campus. One of the project’s primary challenges was to meaningfully integrate the colleges’ needs for additional space and departmental consolidation with the district’s increasing density. The resulting concept for the precinct outlines an urban network grounded in the articulation of physical and visual access, structured open space and integrated vehicular and pedestrian circulation routes. In collaboration with Atelier Ten, our team also developed a priority of sustainable strategies to reflect the building program, local climate and massing. Projected energy savings are 30% over baseline, or $7.5M over 50 years.

Real Salt Lake (RSL) Academy High School on the RSL Training Facility Campus is a tuition free, public STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Charter School serving grades nine through twelve. The approximately 300-student facility is a mix of out-of-state RSL Academy student-athletes and local students interested in the curriculum of the high school. With its sheer scale and bold aesthetic, the RSL Training Academy is comprised of a unique combination of two MLS regulation-size soccer fields side-by-side, state-of-the-art training facilities and a charter school, all of which are housed underneath one of the largest pre-engineered clear span buildings in North America - spanning 400 feet. Wrapping around the large span structure are professional training and locker room facilities, academy training and locker room facilities, and a charter school, also housed by a Nucor pre-engineered frame system. The site also includes an exhibition stadium with locker room and public restroom facilities, three MLS size outdoor practice fields, and two high school size practice fields. RSL's 5,000 solar panels produce 1.65 megawatts of energy, relieving about 80% of the electricity needed from the electrical grid to run the training facility.

This International Style building represents one of EDA’s earliest expressions of Utah Modernism. The simple and modular design suspends a light glass curtain wall from a concrete foundation, creating the illusion that the building is floating over the ground. The two-story high school, serving grades 9-12, features a competitive lane swimming and diving pool, athletic and running fields and a complete vocational technology shop on the first level and classrooms on both levels.