Title: Central Piedmont Community College - Parr Center
Location of Proejct: Charlotte, NC
Project Completion Date: June 2022
Firm Name: Morris-Berg Architects

Short Description: Parr Center at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC is a progressive, state of the art student-focused facility housing Student Success Services, Hagemeyer Library, a Student Union, 400-seat Preforming Arts Hall and Gallery under one roof. Anchoring the social and educational heart of the campus Quad, it provides a contemporary “front door” for the College while creating dynamic, social and collaboration spaces for students. The signature building is spread over 172,000 sf, and reinforces CPCC’s Vision as a champion of students, a catalyst for opportunity, and an exceptional provider of learning experiences that transform lives and strengthen our community.

Architect's Statement: The Parr Center at Central Piedmont is a dynamic icon located at the heart of an urban campus, combining a next-generation library with one-stop student services, organization lounges, food services, and performance theatre. With a diverse student body of more than 50,000, Central Piedmont desired a place for students to call their own. The facility creates opportunities for student interaction and engagement in flexible configurations that support all types of active and collaborative learning, both virtual and in person.
Four unique entrances and an elevated bridge anchor the multi-level site. Responding differently to city streets and a traditional landscape quadrangle, the facility folds the program components into and over the site while creating a daily pass-through of balconies and bridges that provide engaging experiences and interaction opportunities. Bright and open, multi-level spaces draw users to a central hub where the building will be most active and thus, organizes access to the various program areas. Occupiable green roof courtyards and balconies provide a connection to each orientation by accommodating generous outdoor gathering spaces that overlook the downtown skyline, the busy urban street, and the virtually transparent extension of the campus quadrangle into the internal atrium. This new structure is located adjacent the century-old Central High School building and is linked with a glass bridge to reinforce the historical connection the College has with its past.
Rich combinations of campus-matching masonry and stone blend in with the mixed traditional campus vernacular, while the façade transparency reinforces a new icon of campus activity. The dynamic massing breaks down the large scale of the building while creating active outdoor spaces for gathering and collaboration. The curved library bar anchors the quadrangle while framing a beloved existing campus clock tower, elevating it to an iconic campus gateway while providing glimpses into the traditional academic quad. The deep-quiet Reading Room presents itself to the public street, while becoming a beacon that entices students to enter and discover what the building has to offer. Expansive curtainwall both brings the building to life, while providing impressive views from within the building. The essence of the building is to be a space where students want to feel comfort, thus the transparency makes occupants on the upper floors feel as though they are in the trees and is further reinforced by the green and occupiable roofs that soften the building edges.
The facility greets guests with a warm atmosphere and views toward Uptown Charlotte, which serve as both a backdrop to the dining space and a visual reminder to students who aspire to start their careers in the Uptown. The building solves decades-old accessibility issues on the site and helps to both orient students as well as support their needs both on the site and within its envelope. The lower level and quad-level entries connect through a central learning stair, clad in wood with a feature ceiling as the focal point of the public space. Terrazzo flooring is used in a myriad of colors to highlight the primary circulation paths, resembling a hashtag and the social symbolism of the building.
The interior material palette takes color, pattern, and textural cues from the connection to the campus quad and the views of downtown Charlotte. Wood materials bring a natural presence, paying homage to the famous old oak trees for which the state is known, and is used in wayfinding and program entries to promote intuitive wayfinding.
Parr Center is a multi-layered building which is a direct reflection of the multitude of program elements that are supported in the building. The building is enticing and has become a beacon where students want to be want to gather and hand out, and where visitors are drawn to and made to feel at home.