The Central Piedmont Community College Parr Center is a hub of activity designed to connect students to campus resources and one another. The space unites academic and amenity services under one roof, with an interior language that seamlessly blends the campus vernacular into the urban backdrop of the Charlotte skyline.

As the largest community college in the area, Central Piedmont endeavored to expand on-campus amenities, giving students the same resources found at a four-year institution. Guided by student input, the programmatic and design challenges centered on creating a unified space for the commuting student-body to gather, enriching the cultural and social connections of the community.

The resulting program features a range of services from dining to a student art gallery wrapped with a multitude of study spaces equipped with technological resources for students who may not otherwise have access.

Nestled within a hillside, the multi-level site positions the building as an interior street, connecting the upper campus quad to the street level below. Balancing the brick-clad exterior with a transparent glass facade activates the building and connects students to the social activity outside. Located adjacent to the college’s main quad, the building extends pedestrian circulation from the outside in, with streamlined wayfinding designed to encourage serendipitous interactions.

With four front doors across two stories, the building unites circulation patterns with terrazzo flooring, used in contrasting colors to resemble a social media hashtag—a metaphorical representation of the social activity within. Playful geometric angles within the space help create continuous sightlines within the building while visually connecting activity between levels.

The interior design strategy sought to create a modern environment for today’s students that harmonizes with the traditional architectural language of the campus.

Design: Moody Nolan
Architect of Record: Morris Berg Architects
Construction Management: Rodgers-Leeper
Signage & Experiential Graphics: Moody Nolan’s Experiential Design Studio
Photography: Mark Herboth