DESIGNWORKS 2023

University of South Carolina Gamecock Park

Columbia, SC

Garvin Design Group

Terrazzo flooring in the second-floor dining space of the University of South Carolina’s Russell House University Union creates flowing black and garnet feathers that suggest a new circulation pattern and reference the beloved Gamecock mascot.

The flooring design for the newly renovated second-floor dining room at the University of South Carolina’s Russell House Union cleverly employs the beloved brand motif ‘tail feathers’ to subtly suggest the best circulation path and to unify the multi-themed menu offerings. Dubbed ‘Gamecock Park,’ this project is the most central and popular dining facility on campus, serving over 250 students with all-you-care-to-eat dining. This project had two major goals: improve circulation through one of the most highly trafficked on-campus dining rooms and celebrate the dining room’s prominence on campus recruitment tours with a Gamecock theme.

The new terrazzo flooring continues the theme of swooping tail feathers incorporated from an earlier renovation of the Russell House common areas, allowing a seamless flow into the updated dining space. Stylized garnet plumes unfurl from the edge of the dining room entry, mirrored above by the acoustical ceiling fins, to create a dynamic flow through the circulation zones and further define the seating areas. They curl around the edge of the food service bar grouped along the building’s interior wall and guide traffic to the dish return station and dining room exits.

The terrazzo flooring design sets the tone for new fixtures and finishes throughout the space, all celebrating the Gamecock motif in texture, color, and shape. Decorative screens above bar seating reference the historic veil block pattern on the building’s exterior. Varied tile facades carry the ‘garnet and black’ theme across the various food concepts for a clean, fresh environment.