UNIVERSITY BOULEVARD OFFICE BUILDING & PARKING DECK EXPANSION

Completed in 2004, Designform served as Executive Architect for the design of this 644 space parking structure and 40,000-square-foot office building at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, AL. In 2010 a two-level expansion to the existing parking deck was added to provide more than 300 additional spaces for student and visitor parking.

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The combined structure is located at the western entrance to the campus. Designed as a "Gateway Structure," the building features a concave glass wall surrounding a sculpture court which serves as a gathering space for campus tours and admission activities. The office building is occupied by the visitor's center, Administrative offices, labs, and classrooms. 

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The structure was awarded 2004 Best Overall Design Winner by the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP).

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During the design of this two story vertical addition, Designform was faced with the challenge of capturing rainwater for use as landscape irrigation. The Designform team researched various methods of attaining this goal and settled on an underground rainwater containment vessel that stores the rainwater for use in irrigation, yet when storage capacity was not sufficient for the demand, it would allow domestic water to be used through a series of automatic valves.