Plymouth State University Hartman Union Building

The renovated Hartman Union Building, also known as “The Hub,” reflects today’s mix of on-campus learning spaces and contemporary workplace environments.

To house its many student organizations, SMRT was tasked with designing multifunctional spaces that support collaboration, independent study, and socialization.

Early visioning sessions yielded consensus around scope, programming, and budget priorities. SMRT’s two-phased approach minimized disruption and created construction cost efficiencies in this year-round space.

The Hub houses a student lounge featuring a two-story fireplace and a café designed to serve today’s on-the-move students. SMRT incorporated current office design trends to reflect students’ desire for a nature-inspired, rustic ski lodge aesthetic.

Green movable partitions suggest trees and carpets reminiscent of moss-covered rocks defining presentation space in front of the fireplace. Wood cross-bracing patterns typical of New Hampshire’s many covered bridges are translated in the herringbone LTV flooring.