The S/L/A/M Collaborative to design 750,000 s/f for University of Notre Dame

According to the University of Notre Dame, the S/L/A/M Collaborative, Inc. (SLAM), a full-service architectural firm, based in Connecticut for nearly 40 years, was selected as lead architect to design the largest building project in the university's 172-year history. The $400 million, 750,000 s/f endeavor will attach three new buildings to the west, east and south sides of Notre Dame's football stadium. "We are honored to have been selected for this historic opportunity," said James McManus, FAIA, chairman emeritus of SLAM, and Notre Dame alumnus. In the past 18 years, SLAM has completed more than 10 building projects for the university among them major projects such as the new Jordan Hall of Science, new Eck Visitor's Center and the expansion and renovation of the Eck Hall of Law. The feasibility study for expanding the use of the Notre Dame Stadium was announced this past spring. SLAM and Notre Dame's goal during the programming and planning stage was to examine if and how the university could make the stadium a year-round hub for academic and student life. The project is currently in the early design, according to Steven Ansel, AIA, firm chairman and SLAM's chief design officer. "It is such an iconic place so you touch it with great care," he told the Chicago Tribune. "But what we are doing is so exciting in terms of bringing this year-round life to the stadium. This is pushing the envelope much further than we have seen anywhere else in the country." Project construction will begin in about two years and take nearly three years to complete.