Clemson University names architects for Charleston center

Published: February 17, 2012

CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson University officials have selected Allied Works Architecture, in association with e.e. fava architects, etc., for architectural and design work on a permanent home for the university’s architecture and historic preservation programs in Charleston. The plans call for design and construction of an approximately 31,000-square-foot, three-story building at 292 Meeting St., in the city’s historic district.

The new facility will be named after Countess Alicia Spaulding Paolozzi in recognition of a gift from the Spaulding Paolozzi Foundation. It will support highly collaborative teaching, learning and research in Clemson’s Charleston-based programs in architecture, landscape architecture, city and regional planning, real estate development and its graduate program in historic preservation offered in conjunction with the College of Charleston. The programs will enroll about 100 students per semester.

“We have selected an outstanding design team for the Spaulding Paolozzi Center. This new facility will allow us to expand the academic offerings of the Clemson Architecture Center, which has been there for a quarter of a century, and our collaboration with the College of Charleston on our joint graduate program in historic preservation,” said Clemson President James F. Barker, an architect himself.

“Just as we send our design students to study in Genoa and Barcelona, we are delighted to have them in Charleston, one of the world’s most beautiful and architecturally important cities,” he said. “We are working closely with the city and community to create an exciting learning environment which respects the rich cultural fabric of its place.”  

Allied Works Architecture is a 40-person practice led by Brad Cloepfil from offices in Portland, Oregon and New York City. Founded in 1993, e.e. fava architects, etc. is a Charleston-based firm with many of the city’s buildings in its portfolio of work. 

Allied Works was selected for its design expertise and experience working with university and institutional buildings in urban settings. e.e. fava architects, etc. has extensive experience in Charleston with new construction, restoration and adaptive reuse.

“The university selection committee was impressed with the outstanding quality of all the proposals submitted for this project,” said Richard Goodstein, dean of Clemson’s College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities. “We selected the team of Allied Works and e.e. fava architects, etc. because of their deep experience in urban design, their commitment to sustainability and their demonstrated sensitivity to place and context. We look forward to their work in designing a beautiful building that will celebrate and serve the academic life inside the new facility, as well as the community and commerce that surround it.”

The facility, expected to cost $10 million, will include classrooms, faculty offices, design studios and library facilities, as well as rooms for exhibits, lectures, community activities, garden areas and outdoor spaces for academic and public events. Funding will come from state institution bonds and private gifts.

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