In the fifteen plus years since Chase Dining Hall reopened at Rams Head Plaza on South Campus, the space has been adapted several times. Once known as Rams Head Dining, the dining hall was reduced from two floors to one and a Starbucks replaced a venue on level one. The goals of this project were to add 150-200 seats to meet the current demand and create a new dining destination for students living in the South Campus dorms.

Named after the former UNC President Harry Woodburn Chase, the new Chase Dining Hall addition’s modern design is sometimes referred to as “The Fish Bowl” because of its glass surroundings and diverse groups inhabiting the structure at all times. The destination serves as a haven for students and staff to enjoy a bite to eat, as well as relax with surrounding nature.

Students and staff have a vested interest in the project. They contributed by performing landscaping for the project through the edible garden which includes various fruits, vegetables and herbs. In addition to providing fresh produce and encouraging a healthy lifestyle, it has proven to be a strong community-building effort as well.

To fulfill our client’s vision for an innovative, attractive student amenity, our team designed a 3,950-square-foot glass pavilion addition which includes a new food service venue, a flexible seating area and landscapes that included edible plants. The glass building envelope maximizes visual transparency and preserves the sense of open space in a high traffic pedestrian corridor. The roof design features skylights to optimize daylighting in the dining area and a glass canopy to provide protection from solar glare and the elements.

Multi-slide doors can open the seating area to the plaza and greenspaces. The pocket doors between the seating area and the kitchen can isolate the two areas, when needed. The pavilion can also be separated from the existing dining hall during low traffic hours or to host a class or event.

Since the building is sited on the top level of an existing parking garage, there are only two existing columns under the plaza that were used for support. Steel beams running east-west bear on a steel truss that sits on the two existing columns inside the building. The beams cantilever out 36 feet from the truss on the west side, and are attached to an existing beam on the east side. They are made of two W section welded together to maximize inertia and facilitate the lifting of material from the lay down area 30 feet below the plaza level, and are designed to allow for mechanical ducts around the edges of the building.

With an innovative cantilevered roof system, the lightweight glass building envelope exposes students to surrounding specialized edible gardens and maximizes the sense of open space in a high traffic pedestrian corridor.