The Vibe Center

Fig 1: Representation of The Vibe Center Proposal
November 4th, 2024
The Innovators

Sam, Andro, Ivan, Cheng, Dillon

 

Introduction:

Have you ever wanted a place where you can feel like you belong and interact with others without feeling embarrassed, judged or watched by being who you are? The campus currently doesn’t have a central place where students can gather, study, or relax, which makes it harder for them to connect with each other and feel fully involved in campus life. Not having this space is a missed chance to help students grow, keep them at the school, and build a stronger community—things that are important for the university’s long-term success. Building a new, modern Student Center could make a big difference by improving campus life and helping students do better overall. Research shows that creating student spaces increases student involvement and makes it more likely they’ll stay, benefiting both their academic and social lives.

The goal of this proposal is to share a detailed plan to build a new Student Center that meets the need for a space with multiple uses. This center will include study areas, workspaces, recreational spots, and rooms for events, clubs, and organizations. The idea is to create a lively campus environment that encourages students to get involved and connect with each other. This proposal is based on student surveys, reviews of current facilities, and reports from other universities. It gives a clear explanation of the costs, logistics, and everything needed to finish the project. The plan covers the design, construction, and furnishing of the Student Center.

To understand what students at The City College of New York (CCNY) want in a new Student Center, we made a simple survey and sent it out to students across the campus. The survey asked how often they would use the Student Center and what features they would like to have in it, such as study rooms, dining areas, or event spaces. We shared the survey online so many students could participate. After collecting the responses, we looked at the results carefully, using charts to see the most popular choices.

Fig 2; Graph of primary survey findings

Fig 3: Chart showing survey findings

Fig 4: Chart of survey findings showing dining interests

Fig 5; Graph of survey findings

Based on what we learned from the survey, the new Student Center will include key features that match what students want. The most important things students asked for are group study rooms, quiet study areas, recreational facilities, and event spaces for clubs and organizations. These areas will be set up to help with both studying and fun activities, making campus life livelier. We will also add dining options and fitness facilities so the space can be used for different purposes, meeting a variety of student needs.

To make sure the Student Center works well for everyone, we will continue getting feedback. This way, we can improve the design as needed and make sure we didn’t miss anything important. Our team has dug deep into the student center world to draw inspiration in effort to build the perfect ecosystem for our students. In the article (Building Leaders, Living Traditions: The Memorial Student Center at Texas A and M University), the new student center is seen as a need to expose students to culture but also seen as an important vehicle by which to develop leaders. The MSC served as a home for student-led committees that would bring diverse programs to the campus and would do so with students gaining a style of leadership training other than the form found inside the military structure of A&M’s Corps of Cadets.

The Vibe Center  will consist of; flexible Learning & Collaboration Spaces inspired by The UC Riverside Student Success Center, Dining & Social Spaces inspired by East Carolina University’s center, Fitness & Wellness Center inspired by University of Alabama at Birmingham’s student center, which houses a gym and indoor sports areas​, Outdoor Areas & Green Spaces inspired by Emory’s center which includes green roofs and outdoor gathering areas​ and also technology Infrastructure finding inspiration from centers like the UC Riverside Student Success Center which utilize advanced energy modeling and modern technologies for efficient operation.

Research from these and other facilities also inspired the size, cost and allocation of The Vibe Hub in regard to the resources present here at CCNY.

Action Plan:

We will build our new student center next to the towers. The towers are mostly dorms and need to have more amenities for students. This is why it will be perfect to build it next to it on the open space. With a total of 4 floors including the basement, the new student center will cover a 200 by 150 ft or a total of 30,000 square feet of space. Covering all recreation, entertainment and student needs.

Fig 6: Map showing area and location of The Vibe Center

First floor: The first floor promotes an open floor plan. Ensuring plenty of space for students to sit and relax comfortably. With an information desk helping navigate students and put out information on student help events and clubs. Also, a dedicated space for food vendors, event floor for students, and a place accommodating for student needs, close and easy.

Fig 7: Floor plan for first floor

Second floor: This floor will be a separate room with different areas for different activities. Considering the amount of noise created There will be an area for group studying, a middle section with open floor for sitting and relaxing and a gaming room on the opposite with soundproof walls and closed doors to create the best experience.

 Fig 8: Floor plan for the second floor

Third floor/ Rooftop: This floor is a half auditorium and half rooftop area. The auditorium can hold up to 800 people with plenty of space for people to move around freely complete with stage and backstage with storage space.  The rooftop will be a recreation place for people to relax as well as being a rooftop garden. 

Fig 9: Floor plan for the third floor

Basement: The basement will be utilized for a gym which will include basketball courts with locker rooms for men and women on either side. The basement will also include a fitness space with dumbbells and machines for working out and a wellness room for meditating and more. As well as space for storage and the utilities for the building. This entire floor will include lots of air vents and doors leading above ground to ensure proper air flow.

Fig 10: Floor plan for the basement

Construction Timetable:

 With high emphasis on proper consumption of financial and human resources, our student center is expected to take 18 months from its planning to grand opening providing enough time for each task while also maintaining a time bound schedule. 

Fig 11: Gantt Chart for the construction schedule

Cost and Benefits:

After researching similar student centers and assessing the cost required to build a student center and relating it to the intended size of 30,000 sq.ft and action plan, The Vibe Center will amount to 16.9 million dollars from start to finish ensuring a realistic and competitive budget.

Fig 12: Budget for construction and components

Benefits: 

Our student center will offer a wide range of the benefits that will enhance campus life and support students academically, socially and individually. It will grow and nurture helpful connections among students, creating a welcoming environment accessible to all. With all amenities present in this student center, this student aims to engage CCNY students in academic, wellness and social activities enforcing an innovative, collaborative and high achieving spirit in the CCNY community. It will also provide students with different opportunities to strengthen their professional experience and connections including employment opportunities in and out of the centers, career events and participation in a variety of projects. With typical costs of student centers varying between 400$-800$ per square foot, this facility fits well into the range but also exceeds expectations compared to other student centers comparable in size.  

 

The Team:    The Innovators

Chengwei Bao is a dedicated second-year computer science student at The City College of New York. Known for his patience and persistence, he is focused on achieving success in his studies and career. Through self-taught and systematic learning, he has mastered efficient coding techniques and effective project structuring. In addition to his academic pursuits, Chengwei is a fitness enthusiast and a long-distance track and field athlete. He began running in elementary school and has completed several marathons, which instilled in him a strong sense of discipline and determination. He believes that physical well-being enhances mental clarity and creativity, essential for his work in game development. As an aspiring game developer, he draws insights from both great and flawed games to understand the qualities that make a game stand out, using this analytical perspective to fuel his ambition to create engaging and well-crafted games in the future.

Ivan Muhizi is a second-year mechanical engineering student at The City College of New York. He aims to be a high-skilled, high-achieving and wealthy engineer and he always incorporates these goals with the hard work, patience, discipline and prayers necessary.  He also possesses critical thinking and problem-solving qualities. His technical skills include CAD/CAM design with SolidWorks and AutoCAD software and is working towards acquiring professional experience and certification in them and other software like CATIA, CREO and SIEMENS NX. Aside from his studies, Ivan is a strong sports and fitness enthusiast, finding pleasure in long distance running to surpass his mental and physical strength limits. He also likes to update himself with new evolving innovations in the tech and engineering industry and hopes to design and manufacture automotive, aeronautics and consumer electronics products in the future.

Samuel Kim is a first-year civil engineering student at The City College of New York. He grew up in Bayside where he lived all his life. He attended Aviation High School, gained leadership experience in the aerospace industry, and learned responsibility skills on the baseball team. Hard-working and an eager student are some qualities of him. He has had prior internship experience in the aviation industry and can communicate and collaborate effectively in a team while comfortably working in a rapid, evolving environment. In his spare time, he enjoys playing poker and watching romcoms in his bed. In the future, Sam hopes to be designing and testing airplanes worldwide.

Dillon Romney is a third-year computer engineering student at city college. Never wasting a moment in his studies or health, he is dedicated to what he does. Graduating from Benjamin Banneker Academy, he has his sights on graduating with a master’s degree and helping out others in need with his knowledge. Attending the ace mentor engineer program in high school with Miro, he is vastly fascinated in the many different ways engineers help out the world and will stop at nothing to find the answers he desires. Dillon is an amazing innovator, and his end goals are to work in I.T or a highly advanced company in hardware or software engineering.

Andro Abdelaty is a third-year electrical engineering student with a keen interest in power engineering. He has completed internships with energy companies, where he gained valuable experience in designing and optimizing electrical systems. In addition to his studies, Andro enjoys robotics and automation and often participates in university competitions. He’s eager to apply what he’s learned in the classroom to real-world challenges as he prepares for a career in the energy sector.

 

Conclusion:

The proposed Student Center represents more than just a new building—it symbolizes a long-term investment in the university’s future. By creating a dynamic space that fosters community, collaboration, and student success, this project promises to elevate campus life and provide a hub for diverse activities. As a versatile and modern facility, it will enhance the student experience, support academic growth, and attract future generations of students. The benefits extend beyond the present, ensuring the university remains a vibrant and thriving institution for years to come. The Vibe Center is here to build a legacy for connection, wellbeing and excellence for the CCNY community.

References:

Bacon, A. L., & Koldus, J. J. (2009). Building Leaders, Living Traditions: The Memorial Student Center at Texas A and M University. Texas A&M University Press. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ccny-ebooks/reader.action?docID=3037785

Boyarsky, K. (2023). How Much Does it Cost to Open a Coffee Shop? Toast Tab. https://pos.toasttab.com/blog/on-the-line/how-much-does-it-cost-to-open-a-coffee-shop.

Duda, Paine Architects. (2023, May 2). Emory Student Center – Case study. https://www.dudapaine.com/our-firm/knowledge/case/emory-student-center/

P2s. (2024, July 15). Facility expertise: Student success Centers. P2S. https://p2sinc.com/facts-and-analysis/facility-expertise-student-success-centers

Return and Retention during COVID-19.” Recreational Sports Journal, SAGE Publications, 27 Apr. 2022, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9047664/.

The Student Center by the numbers | East Magazine | ECU. (2019, May 3). https://east.ecu.edu/2019/05/03/student-center/

University of North Texas. (2020). THECB Typical Building Type Price Per Square Foot.

USU IR, Utah State University, USU Institutional Repository

https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1501&context=hper_facpub