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FRATERNITY HOUSES by
Zaic & Associates, Architects
Fraternity house are a unique mixture of use types including country club, restaurant, study hall, arcade, and hotel with meeting and ballroom facilities, all wrapped up into one building. They need to look like country clubs but wear like prisons. The design of the house must be flexible enough to accommodate all of the uses above and be able to make the change quickly without interrupting its overriding role as a dormitory for college students getting a higher education. The zoning of each use has to be carefully considered both from a functional as well as aesthetic point of view. For example, supplies and trash need to get to and from the kitchen without crossing the public path. Food must be served from the kitchen for daily meals as well as for the large alumni buffets during football game weekends.
Fraternity house design must also be responsive and ever adapting in order to stay appealing to new generations of students as new housing opportunities continue to be created on campus with bigger and more private facilities. The design of the house must also be sensitive to its location. Often the house site is in a historically significant area of campus or the national fraternity would like the new building to reflect its historic roots and culture.
Another important consideration in the design of a fraternity house is that the house itself is the setting upon which the brothers will spend four important years of their lives, learning, working for a common cause and most importantly, establishing life long friendships and memories of time spent with their brothers.
Finally, the process of planning and fund raising for most new fraternity houses or renovations is being managed and guided along by a committee of concerned alumni willing to donate a great deal of time so that other young men can enjoy the same experiences they had as a fraternity member in college.
Zaic & Associates understands these issues and also realizes that in addition to a traditional design role, the architect must provide structure and leadership through the entire process of fund raising, designing and overseeing the construction of their projects. We provide the framework and structure to make the process efficient and enjoyable. We assist committee clients and volunteers with a structure that helps them effectively communicate their needs in an efficient manner thereby minimizing their time away from careers and families.
We also initiate program/budget reconciliation at the commencement of the project in order to create a realistic basis upon which the project can proceed. We then act as the team leader, coordinating from start to finish, the activities of all involved parties including the owner’s representatives, architect’s and owner’s consultants, code officials and the contractor. We also create architectural illustrations to better define the project which can be used in marketing or fund raising efforts.
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