Northern_Today_Fall_2020

NORTHERN TODAY 13 FALL 2020 NORTHERN STATE UNIVERSITY | News layout and the ease of getting around,” Klobassa said. “The quad is especially beautiful! The people are also so welcoming and great to work with – we couldn’t ask for better partners to design with.” Klobassa congratulated everyone at NSU. “It is always our goal as designers to create a building that makes a positive impact for the campus as a whole, the students and faculty who use it every day, and the environment,” she said. “The building just recently received LEED Silver Certification, which means it is a sustainable and efficient building. That achievement is also something to be proud of.” Athletic and Recreation Fields Pavilion Tom Hurlbert of CO-OP said functionality and aesthetics were likely both factors in the win for the Pavilion. “It’s fairly simple as a form, not a lot of gratuitous architecture. A simple fold over a concrete base. Clean lines,” Hurlbert explained. “Only using a few materials, not overcomplicating it with more materials or colors. I think it sits nicely on the site – and the sea of turf it sits in is an interesting site.” The facility looks prominent and intentional as well as forward-thinking – something Hurlbert hopes also resonates with NSU Wolves recruits, ultimately leading to stronger teams and more wins. His own favorite aspect of the building is its white fold. Hurlbert pointed out that the Pavilion takes understated cues from the Barnett Center architecture. So do the new football stadium and Barnett Addition, part of the NSU Regional Sports Complex, which is also a CO-OP project. “The concept is a unified campus sports facility language, using the new projects to refresh the Barnett Center itself,” Hurlbert said. CO-OP has also been a part of the overall NSU campus building master plan, the Johnson Fine Arts Center renovation, Wolves Memorial Suites, Great Plains East and West, and several smaller renovations or remodels throughout campus. “In my previous jobs I’ve helped design other buildings on campus and even acted as a laborer on the Student Center renovations during my college summers,” Hurlbert said. He said he enjoys the master planning process. “It’s a long game. A lot has happened on campus in the last five years, for certain, but a lot of planning and ideas have been dreamed about for a long time,” he said. “It’s fulfilling to see a lot of ideas we’ve played a small part in conceiving of, now built. And I feel like I can see farther down the tunnel and I really believe it’s only going to get better and better.” He also has enjoyed the relationships he’s formed through working on so many Northern projects over the years. “As a professional that provides design services, I understand we have to deliver or we won’t be around. But it’s inevitable not to work with people for a long time and not feel like you have some kind of relationship or friendship,” he said. “From Dr. Downs, Veronica Paulson, Monte Mehlhoff, Josh Moon, and lots of folks in various departments, you get to know them a bit. I’ve been around long enough to have gotten to know folks that have come and gone through NSU, and they’ve all become friends too.” “Since this was an award chosen by the public, I think the voters recognized the new sense of entry and welcome it provides to campus, and what a great asset the programs inside the building are to the region and community as well.” TSP architect Chase Kramer Photograph courtesy of CO-OP Architecture