Students at the University of Alabama in Huntsville will have a new social gathering place since the UA Board of Trustees unanimously approved construction of a new 90,000SF student life center. The $25 million project  will transform the total campus experience.  Expanses of glass will showcase student gathering spots, such as the dining, lounge, and gaming spaces. Architectural concrete panels will enclose a 350-seat theater component, while using the building’s exterior as a canvas for night-time movie projections. A metal panel  dynamically flows through building forms, wrapping horizontal and vertical surfaces, signifying areas of entrance and special prominenece. The use of colored LED exterior light projections on building surfaces can be used for significant celebrations or social/community awareness. This was an extremely fast-track project, so kudos to the Mackey Mitchell team (working with Architect-of-Record Turner Batson) Gwynn Zivic, John Burse, Jim Konrad, Merrilee Hertlein, Clint Smith, and Stacey Wehe.