Working in tandem with the new Matthew Knight Arena, the Alumni Center building offered the architect and university an opportunity to create a new front door to the campus, and provide the first impression of the school’s distinct identity and core values of progressive thinking, education, and environmental stewardship. Designed to celebrate the legacy of past alumni and to be the first stop for new inquiries about the University, the Ford Alumni Center expresses a dynamic and forward-looking environment while also affording a link to the past through an interactive interpretive center and a history library. A four-story, 60,000-square-foot building, the LEED-Gold structure houses a large linear sky-lit lobby and lounge, conference rooms and multi-purpose gathering spaces, as well as office space for the University Foundation and other staff.