Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Tidewater Community College: Joint-Use Library

  • 06/01/15

The 120,000-square-foot Joint-Use Library in Virginia Beach, VA, operated jointly by Tidewater Community College (TCC) and the City of Virginia Beach, is affectionately referred to as “the jewel.” The awe-inspiring structure, which houses more than 128,000 items ranging from bestsellers to college textbooks, features soaring staircases, a two-story atrium, colorful wall hangings, comfy furnishings and plenty of natural light.

Tidewater Community College: Joint-Use Library

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TIDEWATER COMMUNITY COLLEGE / VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT and CRAIG MCCLURE / CITY OF VIRGINIA BEACH

Opened in August 2013, the Joint-Use Library represents a rare collaboration between an institution of higher education and a municipality. TCC and the City of Virginia Beach partnered to build the $43 million library, with 80 percent of the funding coming from the college and 20 percent from the city.

TCC is the largest provider of higher education and workforce solutions in southeastern Virginia, and the iconic library sits on the largest of TCC’s four campuses. Students and city residents enjoy the full scope of the library’s offerings, which include 360 computers, free WiFi, a dynamic children’s room, collaborative workspaces, a café and numerous private study rooms.

“The Joint-Use Library is a shining example of the entrepreneurial efforts by Tidewater Community College, and a jewel to the students at TCC and to the residents of Virginia Beach,” TCC President Edna V. Baehre- Kolovani says. “This partnership is an unparalleled resource that will benefit the Hampton Roads community for decades to come.”

RRMM Architects of Norfolk, VA, teamed with two California firms, Carrier Johnson of San Diego, nationally known for library designs, and Anderson Brule of San Jose, specialists in joint-use libraries. The project achieved LEED Gold certification. Environmentally responsible elements include motorized window shades, floor openings designed to enhance the use of natural light, advanced stormwater management techniques using bio-retention ponds and large open spaces, and glass walls to provide scenic exterior views for more than 90 percent of interior spaces.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Miami University Approves New $242M Multipurpose Arena

    Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, recently announced that its Board of Trustees has approved construction of a new multipurpose arena at Cook Field, according to university news. The $242-million project will serve as a new centralized hub for student life and create space for economic development on campus.

  • Image courtesy of Kahler Slater

    UW–Madison Announces Completion of Morgridge Hall

    The University of Wisconsin–Madison recently announced that construction is complete on Morgridge Hall, a new academic building, according to a news release. The facility opened September 3 at the start of the fall semester, consolidating the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences into a single facility for the first time.

  • University of Kansas Breaks Ground on Entrepreneurship Hub

    The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new KU Entrepreneurship Hub, according to university news. The Hub is part of the university’s School of Business and will include spaces for experiential learning and programming.

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.