Vanguard University Breaks Ground on Student Center

Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, CA, broke ground in November on a new $23 million, 35,000-square-foot Student Center, which will serve the immediate needs of the university’s current enrollment and provide additional space to accommodate future growth.

Vanguard University Student Center

The new state-of-the-art steel-framed structure will replace the existing student union and feature a 16,000-square-foot cafeteria, 3,000-square-foot fitness center, and 8,200-square-foot multipurpose events space. It also will include a student lounge with ample seating, a fireplace, and café.

The building’s roof will feature a trellised deck and fireplace, and other outdoor dining and gathering areas will be constructed around the perimeter of the building to promote student, faculty, and staff interaction.

Designed by HPI Architecture and built by C.W. Driver Companies, the building will reflect a traditional Santa Barbara style that complements the existing architecture on campus, incorporating a smooth plaster finish, limestone veneer, and clay tile roof.

Completion is anticipated for Q4 2019.

Featured

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey

    Spaces4Learning recently launched the 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey, which collects data on the previous year’s K–12 and higher education construction projects nationwide.

  • University of Rochester to Break Ground on New Student Life Center

    The University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., recently began construction on a new Student Life building, according to a news release. The first floor will contain campus-wide gathering, program, and rehearsal space; the second floor will play home to the Greenbaum Center for Jewish Life.

  • Designing for Every Mind

    Learning environments have the power to shape not just what students know, but who they become. When a school is designed with genuine empathy—for the full range of ways students think, sense, and engage with the world—it becomes more than a building. It becomes a catalyst for growth, confidence, and belonging. That is the animating idea behind neurodiverse design, and it is one that is transforming how more architects and designers are thinking about school design.

  • Lawrence Group Announces Three New Hires

    Integrated planning and design firm Lawrence Group, based in St. Louis, Mo., recently welcomed three new staff members, according to a news release.