VMDO Architects

Roanoke College’s Cregger Center brings together academics, athletics, recreation, and community engagement under one roof. The Center houses three main volumes: a 2,500-seat basketball arena and performance gym (with 12 locker rooms), a field house with a 200-meter indoor track, and a fitness center open to the community and overlooking Kerr Stadium and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Integrated within the facility are faculty offices, classrooms, an athletic training clinic and lab space that support the popular Health and Human Performance (HHP) Department – home to 200 students majoring in Health and Exercise Science, Sports Management, and Athletic Training.

The overall reading of the Cregger Center emulates a small college cluster, with the Gallery, or main circulation spine, serving as a double-height passageway between the building’s three main volumes of Arena, Field House, and Fitness Center. Featuring public spaces such as meeting areas and exhibit space for the College’s Athletics Hall of Fame, the Gallery balances the warmth of brick with the transparent relief of glass to offer stunning views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and frame the surrounding campus landscape with a majestic presence

A literal and metaphorical campus crossroads, the Cregger Center was intentionally designed to enhance engagement between and among students and faculty. The Center also serves as a gateway for the larger Roanoke Valley community by routinely hosting academic, cultural, and athletic events. From career fairs and traveling conventions to entertainment and athletic events, the Field House and Arena are equipped with the flexibility to cater to a wide variety of audiences, events, and venue needs.

Depending on the needs of the College, classrooms overlooking the Arena can double as a study / lecture area for the HHP department or a dining / reception space for students, athletes, donors, or community members on game days. Designed for flexible, multi-purpose use, the Cregger Center engages the larger Roanoke Valley community and serves as a flagship for the Roanoke experience.