As the University of Texas at Dallas continues to expand its reach and reputation, the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center fills a major void by becoming a prominently located, active meeting place for alumni and students of UT Dallas. A stunning mural wrapper captures the spirit of the campus and the brilliant trajectory of its students and alumni.
The Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center includes a multifunctional ballroom, a conference center with office and meeting spaces, and an inspirational hall. Situated at the entrance to the UTD campus, the facility opens onto a green lawn that is approached directly from a parking garage. Opened on September 7, 2017, the LEED Gold-certified facility employs numerous efficiencies. Because true connection is about more than physical space, Overland worked with materials specialists to elevate the space even further. A metal scrim that runs along areas of the interior and exterior is articulated with apertures that represent the orbits of comets moving around the sun. Metaphorically, this motif draws an analogy between comets, which move away from the sun but are ultimately pulled back by the gravitational force of the sun or a planet, and alumni who graduate to pursue a new direction but retain their attachment and loyalty to the university. Comets are also the university mascot.
The Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center has become a transformational place that engages the entire university community. According to Archer, “It gives them a place to gather, to tell their story, to welcome people back, and to send them off” as they pursue their futures.
This elegant focal point for our growing UT Dallas alumni community will be yet another milestone along our path to ever greater stature as a university of major national significance, one that provides both its current students and its graduates with extraordinary opportunity and value.
