This Public-Private-Partnership or 3P project delivered to the TAMU System a full-service, 4-star, 250-room hotel and 25,000 SF world-class conference center. The hotel’s design captures the essence of the Texas A&M campus and serves as a gathering spot for alumni, faculty, visiting lecturers, parents and students. It embraces the Aggie spirit through references to its traditions, legacy, architecture and the University’s educational mission. The special emphasis on celebrating Texas A&M’s rich customs and culture- the annual bonfire, the legacy of the Sul Ross statue, the Aggie ring along with numerous other celebrated traditions – is evident in the project’s design.
The hotel houses guests and faculty for academic symposiums, athletic events, and student orientations while also serving as a state-of-the-art conferencing hub for the University. The first floor includes a ballroom with a 600-guest capacity and the flexibility to subdivide into five (5) smaller spaces. An extensive pre-function space surrounds the ballroom allowing guests to gather and socialize. A full-service, three-meal restaurant with a catering kitchen is also located on the hotel’s first level. The layout of the restaurant allows for multi-use dining zones to seat small to large groups and private dining. Two (2) floors of the eight-story hotel are dedicated to amenities and conferencing. The third floor houses a small fitness center, sprawling pool terrace, and multi-use hospitality suites which can be reconfigured to small meeting spaces.
Positioned directly above the restaurant is the 12th Man Bar and Lounge with prime views overlooking Kyle Field where guests can watch the game or take a break from a meeting. There are four (4) large conference rooms, two (2) of which can be subdivided for additional meeting space. Conference room furniture is highly mobile. Two (2) of the largest conference rooms connect to the exterior terrace granting guests the flexibility to continue meetings outdoors. A formal 16-seat boardroom with adjoining anteroom is adjacent to this area. Eight (8) smaller breakout rooms are distributed across the floor to allow for more intimate meetings.
In addition, a 1,400+, five-story parking garage was built in time for the 2016 college football season. To meet the schedule, Huitt-Zollars worked with Gilbane Building Company to identify Contract Document packaging that would allow for an early construction start. We concluded with assistance from TAMU office of Planning and Construction (Authority Having Jurisdiction) and Gilbane that three packages would allow our team to meet the schedule of beneficial use of the garage in early September 2016. Civil site conditions provided a challenge with an elevation change from the front to back of four feet. This required grading the surrounding area to allow for transitioning that four feet elevational change. Soil conditions required removal of eight feet of material replace with select fill and driller pears 50’-0” deep with bells. Security on college campuses has become a big concern. To address this concern we designed four glass enclosed stair towers, and glass back elevators allowing for visual surveillance 24/7 both interior and exterior.