University of New Mexico – Smith Plaza by Surfacedesign « Landscape Architecture Platform

The Smith Plaza & Union Square Renovation transforms 3.3 acres at the heart of UNM’s main campus into UNM’s signature social gathering space. Intensely occupied by students, faculty, staff and local community members, the central plaza redesign acts as a social space of equity, diversity and inclusion. Addressing the historic Zimmerman Library, Student Union Building, and academic halls, Smith Plaza is the welcoming gesture and representation of UNM campus life.

As the exterior host for numerous student life functions and events, the plaza not only requires robust functionality, but also authenticity to place. Inspired by the West Mesa and nearby plateaus, the plaza is layered in formation and use. The lower plaza, analogous to arroyos of the region, allows for multitude of movement networks while a hierarchy of occupiable and planted plateau terraces create a unifying identity to the plaza and support the dynamic characteristics of campus life.

: The plaza sits in the center of the campus, linking the UNM Student Union with Zimmerman library and a hub of academic buildings. It not only had to seamlessly connect these buildings, but also create a heart for student life.

: The renovated plaza mixes material and form to provide an incredibly diverse array of rhythms from the swift movement of the central circulation to the new perches that provide a grounded respite from which to watch the flow happening below.

: A student walks on one of the gentle paths, reminiscent of a gravel arroyo eroding the plateau, towards Ortega Hall, a point where a large staircase formerly restricted the accessibility of the site.

: The plaza at work providing smooth circulation as students head to their next class during the break.

: The corten steel umbrella shades, laser-cut with a New Mexico-inspired relief, add a touch of whimsy to plaza.

: The landscape near the Student Union starts to fill up as lunchtime approaches.

: The plaza quiets down at dusk.

: The mature pine trees near the library, preserved and made accessible from the renovation, have now become a beloved hang out spot. A soft mat of drought-tolerant grass and moveable furniture invite students to relax.

: A planter wall made of brick splays and confluences, borrowing language from the arroyos of New Mexico.

: A young mother looks on as her kids pedal around the plaza. The renovated plaza has become a beloved community space as much as it has been a new hub for student life.

: A young family takes an early morning walk. The plantings’ soft, light-colored palette softens the monolithic mass of Zimmerman Library and coalesces architecture and landscape into a serene, unified atmosphere.

: The paving intentionally cuts up the plaza serving two main functions: providing a rich diversity of spaces and a more accessible way to navigate for the visually-impaired who can track the smooth, dark concrete amidst the roughened sandy concrete.

: In other moments, the brick layers tectonically shift, revealing a stratified profile and calling upon the New Mexico geology

: Viewed from above, the plaza recalls the broader context – a broad valley tucked against the mountains

: Laser-cut shades add new patterns and texture to the plaza.

The design placed importance on material selection to prioritize local availability and representation. Use of brick for the shifting wall surfacing recalls the earthen clay character and material recollection of the Albuquerque Basin. Salvaged brick from the past pavement surface was repurposed in the lower plaza pavement. The paving pattern and layout provide the great room centerpiece that is complemented by a ground finished cast concrete that exposes the native stone aggregates. Deeply colorful and textural stone aggregates allow stormwater runoff to infiltrate at the plaza edges. Native and adapted plantings soften the edges, providing vegetative massing, while rolling lawns provide for the exceptional calming oasis at the campus core.

Visitors are encouraged and empowered to move seating around the terraces, fostering ownership and pride for their space. The movable furniture supports adaptable site programming, while segments of precast concrete walls from the UNM reservoir building were reconstituted as fixed seating and lounging elements for full day usability. Major path routes integrate contrasting colors and a textured concrete finish that helps aid visually impaired visitors to navigate the site.

Complimentary to the land inspired formations and active plateau terraces, New Mexico culture and tradition provided guidance in the development of the weathering steel shade elements. Presenting an interpretation on ornamental ironwork and tinwork characteristic to New Mexico, the canopies improve environmental comfort and protection from the high desert climate’s harsh sun.

To successfully achieve the Smith Plaza/ Union Square design, the process required invaluable stakeholder input, rigorous engagement and open dialogue. This collaborative process garnered feedback that provided foundational insight, authenticity and ownership to the ideation and design process. To push the design to its full potential, the project design team also employed a collaborative approach toward project delivery. SURFACEDESIGN served as the lead design landscape architect in partnership with Albuquerque based landscape architect MRWM and Albuquerque based architect McCLAIN + YU.

Data

Landscape Architecture: Surfacedesign
Project Homepage: http://www.sdisf.com/institutional#/university-of-new-mexico-smith-plaza/
Other designers involved in the design of landscape: McClain + Yu, MRWM
Project location: Albuquerque, NM
Year Built: 2018

Photos: Blake Marvin