Both aesthetics and function come together in the new two-story Virginia Beach Higher Education Center, which was designed by George Nasis of Moseley, Harris & McClintock.

Students walk past a circular fountain just outside the main doors, and once inside enter an attractive granite and wood-paneled atrium that receives natural light from a glass-pitched roof.

The center, which opened for classes in late August, contains 46 classrooms, a 120-seat fully mediated lecture hall, two 40-seat computer classrooms and a 20-seat computer classroom, all in 89,000 square feet of floor space. All 46 classrooms and seminar rooms come equipped with TV monitors.

Many classrooms have ceiling-mounted large-screen data projectors and computer ports, while a lecture hall and computer classrooms have PCs built in.

The hub of the educational facility is the Learning Resource Center. Featuring 50 computer stations and 10 video carrels, the Resource Center allows students to access library materials and complete homework and research on the Internet.

Student amenities include three lounge areas, access to health services, a bookstore, faculty advising and registration services, and the Waves Cafe, which offers a full menu of sandwiches, coffees, beverages, bagels, pastries and salads.

The Virginia Beach Higher Education Center was formally dedicated Oct. 29 by Old Dominion University President James V. Koch, Norfolk State University President Marie McDemmond and Virginia Beach Mayor Meyera Oberndorf.

The $14.5 million facility was built on 36 acres of land donated by the city of Virginia Beach.