The Roj Student Center consists of an addition and substantial renovation to the former Decker College Center while tying in elements of the attached buildings to create a comprehensive new student center experience. The $11M renovation includes a complete overhaul of “The Pub” dining area as a fast-casual venue to include new fresh food options, expanded dining, and a new Student Lounge. Also included in the renovation are a new campus store, office suites, a gaming lounge, and more.

The renovation of both interior and exterior of the building allowed MCA to showcase a full integration of architecture and interior design. MCA completely changed the energy of the space by highlighting natural light sources and selecting an exciting color palette for furniture and finishes. To ensure a fully cohesive user experience that meets the needs of all stakeholders, the team conducted furniture vendor showroom tours, a student engagement furniture survey, and a President’s meeting to finalize finishes. In order to maintain the historic integrity of McDaniel’s campus while introducing modern attributes of the renovation, MCA carefully selected a variety of materials—some to match the modern aspects of the new addition and others to blend in with the original finishes.

These areas now take advantage of McDaniel College’s unique location on top of a hill by opening up the façade with expansive glass, which provides views out to the distant horizon. The roof of the addition further expands the visual opportunity with a rooftop patio and green space for use by the college President and associated staff and guests. Also included in the renovation are a new campus store, office suites, a gaming lounge, and more. A substantial portion of the project included updating, repairing, and replacing outdated infrastructure and systems. As architects and interior designers, our duty is to create spaces that will positively impact the user—whether they work there daily or are a visitor passing through. We are thrilled to have accomplished this mission for the students and staff at the new Roj Student Center.