Facilities

ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE.
INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION.
UNMATCHED OPPORTUNITY.

The ancient temple complex in Luxor, Egypt, was begun some 3,600 years ago. It has been expanded countless times in the ensuing millennia by such titanic figures as Ramses II, Tutankhamen and Alexander the Great. Now the names of Clemson students in planning and landscape architecture will be added to that ancient roster. As part of an ambitious push to restore and rejuvenate the
area, government officials from Luxor invited students from Clemson University to join Egyptian students from Ain Shams University in Cairo in 2006 to collaborate on a master plan for the city. The goal was to help alleviate the unplanned urban sprawl threatening the integrity of the area’s temples and Avenue of Sphinxes. “It’s very exciting to think that some of this work will be implemented in the years to come,” says Hala Nassar, Clemson professor of landscape architecture, “but it’s also very important to remember that it was a tremendous honor to be invited to participate in the plan itself.”

Leading Facilities
Keeping Clemson’s design and building disciplines among the eminent programs of the world will not only benefit our University through
international recognition, it will also bring exceptional opportunities such as this to our students, and it will prepare our graduates to continue to lead innovative design and building efforts in the future. With a thriving and evolving marketplace focused on increasing
environmental, health, geographical and spatial concerns, graduates in these fields are in high demand. Meeting this demand will require
adequate space for Clemson’s design and building disciplines to grow and thrive. To this end, Clemson is commencing a renovation and expansion project that will create a design and building complex worthy of our students, teachers and industry partners.

The Reality
Success in the design and building disciplines requires students to learn through a creative process of risk-taking and dialogue. This process moves students and faculty beyond the traditional classrooms and offices. Studios and galleries, spaces for design charrettes and library collections, and cutting-edge technology and equipment are essential for achieving distinction.

Yet, as Clemson’s design and building disciplines have grown and multiplied over the years, their physical home — the 50-year-old Lee Hall — has fallen far behind in providing adequate space for its inhabitants. Today, Lee Hall’s 72,000 net assignable square feet is half the amount of space needed for the design and building disciplines to function successfully. Underscoring the urgency of the proposed expansion are the disciplines’ accreditation board reviews, several of which have cited the current facilities as a deficiency that must be addressed.

The Need
Clemson’s proposed design and building complex will be a first-class facility to accommodate the architecture, planning and landscape architecture, and construction science and management departments, and temporarily house the visual arts department. One of our top building priorities on campus, this renovation and expansion will nearly double the space available in the current Lee Hall. However, fulfilling this goal will require Clemson to raise millions in private investments.

The Impact
By creating additional classroom and studio space, the design and building departments will have the necessary facilities to offer smaller class and studio sizes, thereby serving students better and helping the University on its quest to become a top-20 public university. Most importantly, expanding Lee Hall will allow Clemson to:

• Accommodate current students and staff.
• Increase enrollment in response to market demands.
• Address the facility-related concerns of our accreditation boards.
• Add new programs of study.
• Continue on that path of excellence indicative of a top-20 university.