Dining facilities earn design honors

These days, Liberty University’s dining facilities are known for more than their nutritious food selections. Recently, LU’s Reber-Thomas Dining Hall and Founder’s Food Court received kudos for their architectural design.

Each year, American School & University Magazine holds its annual Educational Interiors Showcase, recognizing educational institutions around the country for interior design excellence. LU made this year’s list of 109 projects, earning Outstanding Design honors in the Cafeterias/Food-Service Areas category.

Entries were judged for sustainability, character, long-term appropriateness of materials and colors, innovation, safety, balancing collaborative spaces and being adaptable to current and future technology. The selected projects are able to take essential elements of education design — security, creating an environment for learning, a healthful environment — and package that into an award-winning facility.

In the summer of 2007, Reber-Thomas was essentially gutted and rebuilt with an all-new, more-colorful student-friendly interior, including Wi-Fi, fresh paint, new flooring, a more inventive lighting scheme and an additional entrance. Since its 2007 renovations, Founder’s Food Court in Campus North added two new food venues at the start of the fall semester to its existing group of restaurants, Jump Asian and Pete’s Arena.

Lisa Millard was the designer for the Reber-Thomas project. Fans of HGTV’s “Design Star” series may remember her as a contestant in the reality TV show’s summer 2006 season. To read a full story, click here.