Long gone are the days when community college students simply commuted to campus, took classes, and then went home. Modern community college campuses are taking bigger and bigger steps to create a true campus experience, and Westberg White Architecture is helping to create that experience at Long Beach City College, where a new athletics and aquatic center is set to open soon.

The $52 million complex features a 36,000-square-foot facility and a 65-meter competition pool. The complex will also feature new sand volleyball and tennis courts as well as new soccer and lacrosse fields and a new softball stadium. The aquatic center building will also be home to team rooms, coaching offices, training rooms, locker rooms and a large multipurpose room for events.

The complex will help make Long Beach City College all the more of an attractive choice for potential students, while also creating plenty of extra school and community pride for current students and locals. It is also a model of high-performance environmental sustainability, featuring synthetic turf to conserve water, advanced outdoor shade structures to reduce the need for air conditioning, and other widespread use of green design principles in an effort to create a zero net energy solution.