The Atlanta studio of Perkins and Will has received a citation of excellence in the renovation/adaptive reuse/restoration design category in the fall 2019 edition of Learning by Design. The University of Kentucky’s Gatton Student Center in Lexington, KY was recognized by the magazine for its progressive architectural expression that celebrates student life at UK.
 
The Gatton Student Center is the heart of student life on the historic Lexington campus, embracing the university’s future aspirations with a progressive, daylight-filled architectural expression that celebrates student life at UK. The 360,000 SF flagship project showcased the rich legacy of UK as it revitalized the original 1938 Student Center into a state-of-the-art student organization and meeting space. The project also transformed the 1928 Alumni Gym into a dynamic fitness and recreation center. The Student Center links the urban nature of Downtown Lexington and the pastoral campus.
 
The Learning by Design award is peer-reviewed by a jury of six architects. The jury looks for unique and new concepts being implemented to improve education facility building design.
 
For more than 84 years, Perkins and Will has been designing places and spaces that make a positive difference in the world. The firm’s Transformation and Reuse practice specializes in Adaptive Reuse projects from renovating outdated office buildings, old mills, and factories to concert venues and schools.  The Gatton Student Center design was based on a data-driven needs assessment and demand-based business plan and resulted in an extraordinarily functional, beautiful and sustainable facility that honors the site's past while supporting the present and innovating for the future.