The 700 Washington, U of MN Minneapolis Campus
700 Washington | University of Minnesota
Elevating the View — and Everything Below It
PROJECT SNAPSHOT
Client
University of Minnesota — 700 Washington
Location
Minneapolis, Minnesota — University of Minnesota Campus
Space Type
Student residential amenity spaces — sky lounge + fitness center
Scope
Full refresh of an upper-floor sky lounge and below-grade fitness center within a campus apartment complex — transforming underused common areas into versatile, brand-aligned destinations on a modest budget.
THE SPACE BEFORE
The building had a sky lounge with panoramic views and impressive architecture — and it was being used as a hang-out zone. No real programming, no defined purpose, and nothing that made students want to choose this space over their own rooms. Downstairs, the fitness center sat in a windowless concrete block room on the parking level. Bunker-like is a generous description.
THE DESIGN DIRECTION
The university wanted both spaces to actually earn their square footage. The sky lounge needed to flex — game day viewing, quiet study, small group work, and large-scale student and faculty events, all in the same room. The fitness center needed to feel like a place people wanted to be, not a basement they tolerated. Across both spaces, the goal was to build a stronger sense of identity and connection so residents felt genuinely at home.
WHAT WE WORKED WITH (AND AROUND)
A meaningful vision on a modest budget. The university’s ambitions were bigger than the approved spend, so we got creative with what was already in the room. The laminate floors and base cabinets stayed. The kitchen island got a new rectangular countertop that was both sleeker and more functional. Carpet tile rugs defined distinct zones within the open plan — study here, gather there, watch the game over here — without building a single wall.
One room, five functions. The sky lounge had to shift seamlessly from casual afternoon study to formal university event. We selected warm, eclectic, and durable furniture that could be rearranged without looking like a cafeteria in transition. A refreshed paint palette kept the building’s brand Tiffany Blue in play while new lighting fixtures added a level of sophistication the architecture always deserved.
A fitness center with no daylight. No windows, concrete block walls, parking-level energy. We introduced a mural that brings the outdoors in — deliberately set at an ambiguous time of day that reads as either sunrise or sunset, so the visual message works no matter when someone walks in. An accent wall painted in a golden-hour tone and updated lighting finished the transformation from bunker to a space that actually motivates.
THE OUTCOME
The sky lounge went from overlooked to overbooked. It’s now the go-to space for mixers, residence introductions, and student-hosted events — the kind of room that makes the building feel like a community, not just an address. The views and architecture that were always there finally have an interior that matches.
Downstairs, the fitness center feels like it belongs to a different building. Residents who avoided the space now use it. Both rooms gave the complex something that’s hard to put a number on but easy to feel — a sense of place that makes a temporary home feel a lot less temporary.
RECOGNITION
Award-Winning Project — ASID Minnesota, Commercial Hospitality