During the planning process, careful consideration was given to the facility’s location in relation to campus, and nearby residence halls. The design includes spaces for dining, collaboration, and studying. The facility will provide 685 seats in a variety of seating areas and offer Micro-Restaurant style dining with seven to nine different restaurant concepts. Centralized prep kitchen and dish washing areas, along with other back-of-house spaces, will support the dining operations. Dining and kitchen spaces are located on the main level.
In addition to dining, the facility will house the administrative offices for Dining & Food Services and Housing & Residence Life. These office facilities will be on a second level, with a designated entrance along McKinley Ave. This project was designed in collaboration with Hanbury.
Located in the North Neighborhood Development of campus, the building is comprised of two residence towers, containing a community of 250 students per tower. Student rooms are mostly double configuration, with a mix of single and ADA compliant rooms per wing. Each floor contains approximately 27 rooms, including one Resident Assistant room. Bathroom facilities are arranged in four groups per typical floor, containing shared lavatory space and private toilet/shower compartments. Each residential floor of each tower has a dedicated lounge and kitchen space.
A central connector between each tower houses shared facilities such as laundry, group study, lounge, fitness center, mail, and administrative office spaces. Included in this two-story connector is a large multi-purpose room for the community, as well as designated Living-Learning maker spaces for Education. This connector acts as the main entry to the complex. This project was designed in collaboration with Hanbury.
The Dr. Don Shondell Practice Center is a new building located adjacent to Worthen Arena which is home to the Ball State University Cardinal’s basketball and volleyball teams. The main area of the facility provides a new practice gymnasium and includes two, full-sized NCAA-compliant basketball and volleyball practice courts. The facility is accessible from Worthen Arena to provide access to existing locker and restroom facilities.
The connector between the two buildings has two levels. The main level provides an exterior entrance to the Practice Center with access to the courts and space for a team room with tiered seating, a training room, and courtside storage space. The second level aligns with Worthen Arena’s concourse level where there is access to two new meeting rooms that overlook the new practice courts.
The namesake of the facility, Dr. Don Shondell, established an impressive legacy as a men’s volleyball coach as well as the founder of the volleyball team at Ball State University.