NSU Horizons Spring 2010

18 HORIZONS W hen rst-time visitors to NSU’s main campus enter a building erected in the past decade, the reaction is often “Ah-ha.” And there’s a reason for that. “It’s a Frank Lloyd Wright trick,” explains Kona Gray, ASLA, an associate principal with the design rm EDSA, which has served as NSU’s campus master plan architects since 1992. “The design allows you to enter a low space, and then opens in to the ‘ah-ha’ space.” It can be seen in the Alvin Sherman Library, where the entrance leads into an atrium that takes in all ve stories. It’s in the Carl DeSantis Building, where a walk through the Entrepreneur Hall of Fame leads into an atrium that rises to the skylights above. And it’s in the Don Taft University Center, where entrances lead into a sky- light- lled facility that contains the largest mural created by marine artist and scientist Guy Harvey. NSU, under Chancellor Ray Ferrero, Jr., worked with EDSA and various architects in adding two million square feet of buildings on campus in the last 10 years, creating an architectural style called “collegiate modern.” To display a consistent style on the exterior of buildings, similar materials and colors were used—pre-cast concrete in tones of beige and other warm hues. Landscaping connects the buildings, as royal palm trees line many roads and walkways, while date palm trees stand outside buildings’ entrances. The architecture and design has gained notice. In 2008, Forbes magazine featured the Don Taft University Center in a story on uni- versity buildings that com- bine style and function, and NSU was included in the magazine’s gallery of luxurious college campus- es. EDSA’s campus master plan won an award in 2009 from the Florida chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and the Don Taft University Center and The Commons Res- idence Halls recently won individual awards for con- struction and design. Q BY ALAN HANCOCK Revealing (Top) The Don Taft University Center entrance, shown bathed in light, features the largest mural ever created by Guy Harvey. (Right) The amazing visual impact you get in the Carl DeSantis Building’s atrium showcases NSU’s “collegiate modern” style. Nova Southeastern University and the “ah-ha” factor