March 3, 2025

This paid piece is sponsored by Interstate Office Products.

One of the oldest buildings on the University of South Dakota campus is set for the future, thanks to a top-to-bottom renovation.

The Union Building was built in 1929 as USD’s original student union, serving food and hosting dances for decades.

“It’s got a lot of history on the campus, and when we reviewed the building, very little had been done as far as upgrading,” said Brian Muehlbeier, USD senior construction project manager.

“But everything was solid in the building. The original windows were still in it, and the foundation was amazing, the brick and masonry work was good, so we felt it was a viable building to restore.”

For the past 40 years, the Union has housed the university’s psychology department. That’s still the case for the four-story building, but now the students, faculty and patients who use the space are enjoying an entirely transformed experience.

“We completely gutted the interior of the building and designed it back to serve their needs better and make it a lot more efficient,” Muehlbeier said.

The university worked with Interstate Office Products to modernize classrooms, offices and a first-floor clinic that’s used by the public and serves as a teaching opportunity for students.

Interior designers Tori Mandel and Jenessa Neve helped USD furnish the multifaceted space.

“The first floor has a blend of existing furniture and new pieces, while meeting the standards they use across campus,” Mandel said. “They’re using much of this area for clinic space and group meeting space.”

Aesthetically, “it’s different from what we usually do with USD branding colors,” Neve said. “It’s more neutral without the pops of red you often see on campus.”

That’s intentional, Muehlbeier said.

“We wanted a look that was soft and gentle, not cold and sterile but warm and receiving,” he said. “We want people to come in and feel welcome and at ease, and I believe we’ve achieved that goal.”

The clinical spaces include soft seating that’s known for durability.

“We helped USD select Steelcase furniture, which is visually appealing and has a good warranty,” Mandel said.

The upper floors include classrooms and offices, with offices clustered on the second floor that use USD’s standardized furniture, including height-adjustable desks.

“We were able to reuse desks and bookcases we had used elsewhere on campus that were only 2 years old, and IOP was able to help us reutilize all of that in the Union Building,” Muehlbeier said. “They helped us determine a layout that fit our existing furniture.”

The mix of existing and new “really worked well,” Neve said. “We were able to match the existing finishes and blend it with new product, so it all looked good together.”

The classrooms are outfitted with flexible, modular furniture that allows for customization.

“I like what IOP did in a couple of the classrooms with higher tables in the back and lower ones in the front,” Muehlbeier said.

“In a single-level classroom, it still gives a tiered effect on one level, and students seem receptive to that.”

Much of the furniture in classrooms is standardized so that it can be moved from one room to another as needed.

“Even just simple things like a height-adjustable podium are helpful in this setting,” Mandel said. “At the same time, it can serve as a laptop table for taking notes in the clinic.”

There’s also a dedicated space for graduate assistants, “where they have their own desk, and it becomes a designated room for studying while they’re in and out doing research in the clinic,” she continued.

“They’re durable both for health care and education because you have a lot of foot traffic and many people using the space.”

General contractor Klinger Construction finished the project ahead of schedule, “and IOP was able to adjust and bring in our furniture in August instead of October,” Muehlbeier said.

“We were done for the start of school, and they were awesome as always.”

The Union is one of many projects IOP has worked on at USD, with others in process, including the USD Knudson School of Law and the university’s library.

“IOP ensures a smooth process – they know what we want, they know what we expect, and we know what they expect,” Muehlbeier said. “We’re prepared before they start moving furniture, we know their needs, and they know the end results we expect. With the Union, it’s been amazing change. We brought new life into that building that will give us another 40 to 50 years of easy service once again.”

To learn more about how Interstate Office Products can help transform your workplace, visit i-o-p.com.