The newest addition to the University of Cincinnati’s architectural landscape is the University Pavilion, a.k.a. “one-stop.” The compact six-story rectangular volume by Leers Weinzapfel, Boston, in association with GBBN Architects, Cincinnati, is a gateway to the academic campus and houses the school’s visitor center, executive offices, and all student services facilities. The pavilion was commissioned and built as part of the university’s master-plan design by George Hargreaves Associates. The facility joins buildings by Frank Gehry, Peter Eisenman, Michael Graves, and Pei, Cobb Freed, among others.

The architects glazed the long side of the building that faces Main Street to provide both a window onto the campus and views of the activity within to passersby. This side of the pavilion offers access at several levels to a pathway that leads to Main Street, a winding promenade of green space and buildings. At the head of the pathway, the principal entrance to the pavilion creates a front door for the campus and gives immediate access to the visitor center. Inside, a stair descends from the main entrance to the one-stop student service facilities two levels down. Set between the window-wall and the main body of the building, the stair hall functions as both a circulation area and a glazed atrium where students, faculty, and university employees can gather. Roof-level executive offices and the president’s suite share a public loggia overlooking McMicken Commons, providing a dramatic crown for the building and a destination for campus functions.

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