USU Eastern Central Instructional Building
Price, Utah
Best Project
Owner State of Utah - DFCM
Lead Design Method Studio Inc.
Structural Engineer Reaveley Engineers + Associates
Civil Engineer Johansen & Tuttle Engineering Inc.
Electrical Engineer Spectrum Engineers
Mechanical Engineer Van Boerum & Frank Associates
Landscape Architect Loft Six Four
General Contractor Jacobsen Construction Co.
Utah State University Eastern wanted to deliver an engaging new space that would inspire learning and serve as a key recruitment tool for both students and faculty.
Built between the Geary Theatre and the G.J. Reeves Building, the Central Instructional Building (CIB) is an aesthetic breath of fresh air on the 75-year-old Price campus.
The two-story CIB brings students from different programs and backgrounds together at a central location. It was created for multiple uses and departments and is intended to inspire a sense of camaraderie. The floor plan provides fluid circulation paths to invite exploration and foster interaction. The facility houses a black box theater, choral room, band practice rooms, offices and classroom space for the criminal justice, communication, art, theater and music departments.
The 58,000-sq-ft structure features a thin-brick exterior system, a rusted panel wall, glass hand rail, polished concrete and board-formed concrete walls. The project scope also included seismic stabilization, expanding the Geary Theatre and creating a new scene shop.
USU Eastern also wanted to make sure the facility is as accessible and useful to the community as it is to the students; therefore, elements of the design offer visual ties to the Price community.
