As the Dixie State University, located in St. George, Utah was transitioning from a two-year institution to four-year institution, school administrators wanted to create a commons building that would represent the significance in this academic shift. The Jeffrey R. Holland Centennial Commons building became just that when it was completed in 2012. With 170,000 sq. ft. of space at five stories tall, Centennial Commons acts as the main location for students to gather in the center of campus on Encampment Mall.
Dixie State University, Centennial Commons
Dixie State University’s Centennial Commons Showcases its Dedication to Education by Opening Up Space with Moving Shelving Systems
Centennial Commons includes the library, classrooms, and offices, with library and archival storage managed by Spacesaver systems. “Eclipse Powered Mobile Shelving systems were installed to accommodate Dixie’s mission of student-centered learning,” says Brett Juhl, sales support coordinator, Spacesaver Intermountain, Salt Lake City.
The building’s specific architectural design—while beautiful—created a challenge with the Spacesaver moving shelving systems. The amount of sun exposure that entered the space confused the Spacesaver units’ security system. “To prevent the systems from locking up due to the sunlight, each system has a Photo Sweep safety feature to keep students and staff safe from closing aisles,” Juhl says. “Two systems have 20 carriages and the other two systems have 32 carriages making safety a priority.”
“Eclipse Powered Mobile Shelving systems were installed to accommodate Dixie’s mission of student-centered learning.”
– Brett Juhl, sales support coordinator, Spacesaver Intermountain
One of the many benefits of the moving shelving systems is that customers have the ability to add features to complement surroundings which was the case in the Centennial Commons project. A local vendor designed custom end panels for all four moving shelving systems to coordinate with the building’s modern architecture. Complete with touchpanels, the systems are designed for easy flexibility. Touching the green button will move the system; touching the red stop sign will stop the system immediately; or users can create custom preferences.
In the design phase of the project, school administrators chose against the option to lock systems at night or specific times of day during community events. However, after completion, they asked for the systems to be retrofitted with this feature. “We were able to retrofit the Auto Move interface onto the existing system so administrators could lock it at night and secure the contents in the system,” Juhl says.
The systems use the System Closed Park function at night for security. This function automatically compacts all carriages closing them from use. Not only does this secure the items located in the units but is flexible to be updated when a user’s needs change—ideal for when community events take place in the Centennial Commons.
Located in an earthquake zone, all four systems feature antitip rails to eliminate the chance of them falling over should an earthquake occur. In addition, the construction of the moving shelving systems is designed to limit lateral movement and distribute weight evenly.
The Centennial Commons is an outstanding and breathtaking building that signifies the school’s dedication to excellence to the more than 5,000 Dixie State students.
“We were able to retrofit the Auto Move interface onto the existing system so administrators could lock it at night and secure the contents in the system.”
– Brett Juhl, sales support coordinator, Spacesaver Intermountain
