VMDO Architects

As colleges and universities strive to attract a wider and more diverse range of high achieving students, the college union serves as the place where students experience different perspectives and diverse world views while developing themselves as part of a community. While providing a vital mix of essential services and resources, a successful student center embodies a home away from home where students feel like they matter, can be themselves, and develop a deeper connection to their institution. With a sense of openness, the student center is quite literally where community on campus takes place, fostering a sense of belonging in students as they build relationships, share experiences, and engage in meaningful interactions that prepare them to be thoughtful citizens.

At VMDO, student life projects have been a main focus of our higher education practice since our founding. Through conversations with students, faculty, and administrative leaders, we aim to find a coherent balance between a rich understanding of forward-looking trends in university center design, and an innovative approach that builds upon what is special and unique about each institution’s heritage and aspirations. We see the student center as a pivotal campus moment, where well crafted architecture can enrich the college experience, seamlessly integrate the social, cultural, and physical campus landscape, and grow to become part of its place, while being loved and lasting.