When the students, faculty and staff of Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, California, finally can return to campus, they’ll have one more reason to celebrate: a newly-completed state-of-the-art Waugh Student Center.
Located at the heart of the campus, the two-story, steel-frame student center boasts a 35,000-square-foot interior and 7,500-square-foot exterior deck. The building includes a 3,300-square-foot food service area with all-day and late-night options as well as an 8,000-square-foot common dining room. There is also a 3,000-square-foot fitness center and an 8,000-square-foot recreational center that can be converted into meeting and event space to accommodate 880 people for lectures or 480 for catered functions.
Serving as an extension of the classroom experience, the new student center features a multitude of spacious areas equipped with power outlets and charging stations for studying, trellised roof deck with fireplace and two-story outdoor dining and gathering area to foster community interaction.
The building, designed by HPI Architecture and built by C.W. Driver Companies, incorporates a traditional Santa Barbara style, including a smooth plaster finish, metal panels and clay tile roof to complement the existing architecture on campus.
“We were charged with creating a student center that not only serves the current population but would support Vanguard’s goal to grow more than 25%,” said Tom Jones, project executive at C.W. Driver Companies. “Leveraging our expertise in higher education, we recognized the need to incorporate more amenities that would bring to life the university’s vision of a modernized student union that is welcoming and flexible for its immediate needs as well as future growth.”
The Waugh Student Center marks the first project in a 30-year enhancement plan to reshape Vanguard’s 38-acre campus. The master plan, approved by the Costa Mesa City Council in February 2019, focuses on 12 separate projects, including a 300- bed dormitory, four-level parking structure and the replacement of the gymnasium, science, technology, engineering, math and kinesiology facilities.
