Gordinier Hall is home to two of Millersville University’s newly expanded dining facilities. The Upper Deck, located on the Second Floor, is an open buffet-style dining hall and is the largest of the campus eateries. The Anchor, situated on the First Floor, is a grab-and-go café. Construction of the new 2-story addition and renovations to the existing structure were undertaken to expand dining capacity for approximately 300 additional students and greatly enhance the overall campus dining experience. The addition is situated as the centerpiece of the new South Residential Quad, the University’s housing modernization initiative that replaced the existing residence halls on campus. The massing of the dining spaces is oriented to favor exposures and views overlooking the Quad to the south and the active pedestrian promenade to the west. Integrated with the site’s heavily-traveled pedestrian networks, a new 3,000 sf outdoor west patio and south plaza provide desired flexibility for outdoor events, as well as emergency vehicle access. The elevated entrance facing the Quad doubles as an outdoor performance platform.

Large expanses of glass curtain wall provide transparency and continuity between the social activity inside Gordinier and the lively spaces of the nearby Quad and plazas. Passive solar gain is controlled through the use of soaring cantilevered zinc canopies, high-performance glass with a ceramic frit, and automated solar-controlled interior shades. Architectural precast concrete and aluminum louvers compose the balance of the exterior aesthetic.

Since its opening, the student body has requested extended hours for use of the building as a nighttime study destination. The University schedules student social activities and other extracurricular events in the new addition.