The McCreary Center focuses on preparing students for careers specific to the region. Culinary arts, law enforcement, and 3D arts such as pottery are all relevant to and needed by the community of Whitley City, Kentucky.

We used the expansion project as a chance to reshape the experience of students at the college. The original building and site had the feel and function of a suburban office park with a large, paved parking area dominating the sparsely landscaped grounds. A pedestrian-scaled campus now surrounds the building creating an arrival experience for students with places to sit, study and interact. This approach continues inside the building through an atrium / gallery that promotes gathering and discourse among students and instructors.