The Levitt Center for University Advancement stands in a prominent position on a rise in the campus of the University of Iowa, visible from much of the city, particularly at night. Clad in white metal panels, glass block, and Indiana limestone, is an asymmetrical assemblage of geometric forms that articulate the various functions within the building. In a reversal of the usual hierarchy of space the public rooms are on the top floors with views of the river and surrounding campus.

Here office floors act as a pedestal for major public spaces that overview the campus, river, and park. The 5-storey rotunda, the exterior of which marks a visual and lateral edge of the university’s Performing Arts Campus, anchors the complex and acts as its main public meeting and circulation space. Inside the rotunda, the 3-storey interior of the rotunda is a ‘vertical lobby’ encircled by a curvaceous stair linked to cantilevered bridges creates a processional path to the public spaces above.

With that Gwathmey Siegel Associates tries to create a promenade in Levitt Center, leading visitors to the assembly spaces at the top of the building. This atrium space integrates numerous works of art by faculty, students, and local artists. The top floor of the building’s bar element contains three tops double-height assembly halls that are rotated to provide views of the river. The rotation creates a series of connected but distinct solids, and a series of discrete areas on the roof terrace. The three rooms can be combined into one, seating approximately 1,000 or can be divided and used simultaneously for different functions such as receptions, lectures, or dinners.

The sculptural forms of these rooms distinguish their public functions from three floors of administrative offices below and define a ‘cornice’ to the arts campus. A double-height, circular boardroom closes the rotunda. This flexible space, with an inverted dome ceiling, features sophisticated audio/video equipment and concentric, cherry and stone conference tables. A portion of the rotunda is carved to create a private covered terrace with views of the river and theater.

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