VMDO Architects

Tidewater Community College is the second largest of the 23 community colleges in Virginia, enrolling more than 37,000 students annually. With ambitious goals for each regional campus, TCC is becoming a national model of a comprehensive community college for the 21st century. Forty-five percent of the region’s residents who attended a college or university in Virginia last fall were enrolled at TCC.

The college continues to be the choice of the region’s students beginning their baccalaureate program. With this trend in mind, a new push was made to promote student success by providing a student-friendly campus “living room” with social, recreational, and service spaces, and by promoting a sense of belonging – pride in and connection to fellow students and the college or university.

The Student Center is a focal point and gathering place for students, faculty and visitors at the College. The building contains student activity and recreation spaces, lounge / study areas, meeting rooms, a café / food service operation, a range of multi-purpose event rooms with movable walls for student events and conferencing, a fitness center, a campus store, and an area dedicated to child minding services.

The site takes advantage of its position fronting a new central campus green space as well as a distinctive, tidal wetland landscape to the north feeding the Elizabeth River. The building’s recreation spaces and café spill out to a lively terrace edging this unique wetland – engaging the special portion of campus designated as an Audubon sanctuary. The entryway to the new building frames a campus-wide portal that extends out to this remarkable landscape.