UNC-Chapel Hill Chase Dining Hall building, North Carolina student amenity, NC university facility images
UNC-Chapel Hill Chase Dining Hall in North Carolina
March 11, 2026
Architects: Szostak Design, Inc.
Location: Rams Head Plaza, South Campus, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
Photos: Keith Isaacs
UNC-Chapel Hill Chase Dining Hall, North Carolina, USA
In the ten plus years since Chase Dining Hall reopened at Rams Head Plaza on South Campus, the space has been adapted several times. Dining space was reduced from two floors to one and a Starbucks replaced a venue on level one. The goals of this architectural project were to add 150-200 seats to meet current demand and create a new dining destination for students living in the South Campus dorms.
To fulfill the client’s vision for an innovative, attractive student amenity, the Szostak Design, Inc. team designed a 3,950-square-foot glass pavilion addition which includes a new food service venue and flexible seating area. The glass building envelope maximizes visual transparency and preserves the sense of open space in a high-traffic pedestrian corridor.
The roof design features skylights to optimize daylighting in the dining area and a glass canopy to provide protection from solar glare and the elements. Multi-slide doors can open the seating area to the plaza and pocket doors between the seating area and the kitchen can isolate the two areas, when needed. The pavilion can also be separated from the existing dining hall during low-traffic hours or to host a class or event.
Since the building is sited on the top level of an existing parking garage, there are only two existing columns under the plaza that were used for support. Steel beams running east-west bear on a steel truss that sits on the two existing columns inside the building.
The beams cantilever out 36 feet from the truss on the west side, and are attached to an existing beam on the east side. They are made of two W shapes welded together to maximize inertia and facilitate the lifting of material from the lay down area 30 feet below the plaza level, and are designed to allow for mechanical ducts around the edges of the building.
The project also included renovations to the 29,786-SF of existing interior space. Existing food service stations received new equipment to better serve student needs and new finishes match the pavilion and bring cohesion to the space.
UNC-Chapel Hill Chase Dining Hall in North Carolina, USA – Property Information
Architecture: Szostak Design, Inc. – https://szostakdesign.com/, Philip Szostak
Project size: 3950 ft2
Completion date: 2020
Building levels: 1
Photography: Keith Isaacs
UNC-Chapel Hill Chase Dining Hall, Chapel Hill, North Carolina images / information received 110326
Location: Rams Head Plaza on South Campus, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
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