The building is located on a heavily wooded, sloping site that is situated between the football stadium and several dormitory buildings. Bisecting the site diagonally is an existing, heavily traveled campus path that is a major pedestrian route between the academic core of the campus and outlying dormitories, playing fields, and major parking areas.

The program for the building was viewed as having two types of spaces: one included the large, public, club-like areas; the other small administrative areas and the more intimate public spaces. Conceptually, the existing path was considered as an opportunity for the alumni who are visiting the building to intermingle with students. Thus, the building straddles the existing path which becomes a plaza in and around the building. The larger, more public spaces are located on the football stadium side of the path and the smaller, more private spaces on the dormitory side.