Lumen Vitae University Center

Bismarck, North Dakota

The new Lumen Vitae University Center at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota is now the 24/7 epicenter for activities for students, faculty, and the community alike. Considered the “beacon” of campus, the Lumen Vitae Center infills the space between two existing facilities with tall, lit glass walls that provides a central circulation core to connect the North and South sides of U Mary.

This link also provides a new and enhanced entrance point for gathering during events, a main street of activity and intersection for student life to occur and flourish and an opportunity for chance encounters. One of the primary goals was to provide an all-day dining experience, and so the dining center was relocated to the first level “Main Street” and distinct districts within the center were created to provide different experiences throughout the day.

The new campus center also provides such amenities as a 600-seat Founders’ Hall banquet room that looks out onto the Missouri River Valley and features glass that tints and brightens with the sun, upper and lower campus living rooms – both scaled to be more intimate with softer materials, lower ceilings, and fireplaces – a hall of fame, retail and bookstore, student involvement center, bank, clinic, and potential future student success center.