A vast surface parking lot for the last two decades, the site of the new events center at University of Southern California (USC) serves as an important gateway to one of the region’s most prestigious universities. When completed in 2006, the Galen Center will consist of a 220,000 SF arena with 10,260 seats for men's and women’s basketball and volleyball and a 75,000 SF pavilion enclosing three practice courts and office space.  USC has partnered with Meléndrez and HNTB to create signature building and site design, which clearly establishes the intersection of Jefferson Boulevard and South Flower Street as a prominent campus entry, marked by a state of the art athletics facility.

Located on a tight urban site and in close proximity to a major freeway, a building of this scale and profile require Meléndrez designers to develop creative and user-focused solutions for exterior gathering spaces around the building. The plazas build upon USC’s tradition of red brick and concrete paving in orthogonal patterns reminiscent of Bloom Walk, the primary pedestrian spine on campus. Grids of Mexican Fan Palms draping from Flower Street reinforce the plazas as outdoor “rooms” which feature seating areas and sculptures, which honor USC athletes of the past. Lush planting at the buildings foundation and throughout the plaza spaces help to soften the scale of the architecture and provide some relief from the ever present vehicular traffic.  Furthermore, the planting exhibits the traditional school colors of cardinal red and gold reinforcing the Galen Center as the quintessential USC facility.

The Galen Center will successfully blend the rich history of USC tradition with the development of modern athletic facilities through timeless materials, and an emphasis on creating a campus amenity that will provide Trojan fans and local citizens a distinct USC experience.


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