UCI Student Center
Tangram Transforms UCI Student Center & Event Services into Modern, Inclusive Havens of Learning and Interaction
Understanding what drives the need for change
As UC Irvine embarked on a comprehensive campus and marketing rebrand, the UCI Student Center faced a pivotal moment. This bustling hub serves as the university's primary venue for social, recreational, cultural, and educational activities, hosting everything from intimate study sessions to large-scale conferences. The existing spaces, while functional, no longer reflected the university's evolving identity or met the diverse needs of today's student body.
The center's leadership recognized that their physical environment needed to authentically embody the university's refreshed brand while creating genuinely inclusive spaces. Students needed areas where they could study comfortably in various postures, collaborate in different group configurations, and feel a sense of belonging regardless of their background or learning style. The challenge extended beyond aesthetics to reimagining how the space could better serve the campus community's varied activities and social dynamics.
How we brought the vision to life
Tangram's design partnership with UCI began with deep listening sessions to understand how students actually used the space and what barriers existed to creating a truly welcoming environment. Rather than imposing a predetermined aesthetic, the team worked closely with university stakeholders to develop a design language that would honor UCI's new brand identity while prioritizing human-centered functionality.
The design solution embraced diversity in both form and function, carefully curating furniture from over ten manufacturers including Coalesse, Viccarbe, Keilhauer, Orangebox, and Steelcase. This intentional variety wasn't about mixing styles arbitrarily, but about creating a rich ecosystem of seating options, work surfaces, and gathering spaces that could accommodate different body types, learning preferences, and social configurations. The approach transformed multiple floors with a cohesive yet dynamic aesthetic that feels both modern and timeless, ensuring the spaces would serve students well for years to come.
1 professionals brought this vision to life
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