Location: Missoula, MT

Project Size: 44,000 sf

Completed: 2024

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Winner - "Best Institutional Project" - 2024 Montana Contractors Association

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LEED Gold

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Rising on Ryman Mall beside the University of Montana's iconic Grizzly statue, The Lodge Dining Center has become the new heart of student life on the Missoula campus. Swank Enterprises competitively bid and delivered this roughly 44,000-square-foot facility, replacing the outdated Food Zoo with a space built to bring students together over food, conversation, and community.

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Design and construction embraced the campus setting at every turn. Expansive glass walls frame sweeping views of Mount Sentinel and the storied "M," while a two-level outdoor deck and a two-sided indoor-outdoor fireplace invite students to gather year-round, rain or shine. Thoughtful details throughout the building, from uneven brick patterns paying homage to the ancient Glacial Lake Missoula to a vaulted, light-filled interior, tell the story of Montana's landscape and history in every corner.

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Where the old Food Zoo could seat 483, The Lodge now seats nearly 1,000 across eight distinct "micro-restaurant" stations serving cuisine from around the world, a dramatic leap in both capacity and experience for the Griz community. Sustainability was built in from the start, and the facility went on to earn LEED Gold certification, with high marks for energy performance despite the demands of a full-scale culinary operation.

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The results speak for themselves. Less than two years after opening, The Lodge earned the grand prize for outstanding performance among new higher education dining facilities from the National Association of College and University Food Services, along with top honors for New Facility of the Year and Carbon Neutrality.

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More than just a dining hall, The Lodge has become a true gathering place and a source of pride for the entire University of Montana community, a project Swank Enterprises is proud to have helped bring to life.