The 83,000-sq. ft. University of the District of Columbia (UDC) Student Center creates a new hub of student activity with spaces for student gathering, administrative offices, and recreational amenities. The new building is situated within a dynamic landscape that connects and integrates it within the Van Ness neighborhood of Washington, DC. Lee and Associates, Inc. provided comprehensive landscape architectural and urban design services to the project design team. The site design enhances connections between the UDC campus and the surrounding neighborhood by strengthening accessibility to the campus from nearby Van Ness Metro station. The building centers on an expansive plaza and ‘campus green’ that orients the student center to Connecticut Avenue. A lushly planted streetscape and ample cafe seating bolster the public face of the university. A unique rain garden of native plants occupies the heart of the site. Coupled with multiple green roof and bioretention areas, the new student center landscape is designed to fulfill key environmental and sustainability objectives: increased energy efficiency, habitat creation, stormwater capture and treatment, waste reduction, and water use minimization. Designing to these objectives has helped the facility achieve LEED® Platinum designation.