Budig Hall / Hoch Auditorium
University of KansasDestroyed by fire
Hoch Auditorium was destroyed by fire in 1991. This project involved saving the two-story front portion of the historic building and adding new spaces where the old gym/auditorium was located. Renamed Budig Hall, the new building is 130,776 square feet in size, and includes a 1,000-seat and two 500-seat lecture halls, four smaller classrooms, offices, a 24-hour computer lab, and a 58,000 square foot government documents and maps library.
Each lecture hall combines three rear projection screens, a front projection screen and an array of computerized audio-visual technology. Capabilities include complete video integration, touch screen controls, fully computerized system components and recording camera systems with satellite link capabilities.
New major entrances on the east and west sides of the building were necessary to supplement the original building entry, as up to 4,000 students "trade places" during a typical class change. Interior and exterior "people places" were created to support the high volume of traffic generated by the use of the building. The wonderful stone front of the original building survived the fire and was incorporated into the final design.