March 19, 2026
Calhoun Community College Student Union Building
Work is beginning on the new $17 million Calhoun Community College Student Union building.
The city of Decatur issued a building permit for the two-story, 29,800-square-foot facility on the campus on U.S. 31 last week, according to permits pulled by reportconstruction.com. It is the most expensive project started in the Huntsville area since March 6.
In all, 11 projects exceeding $1 million have been issued permits since then, with most of them in Decatur. Overall, 372 permits were issued in Madison, Limestone and Morgan counties totaling $128.5 million.
Lee Builders of Huntsville is listed as the contractor for the student union project. The firm has been involved with several high-profile projects, including the $28 million renovation of Joe Davis Stadium, as well as projects currently under construction such as the $70 million Champman and STEM Magnet Middle School and the $13 million Ditto Landing event center.
The new Student Union Building at Calhoun was designed as a multifunctional hub for social activities, dining, and learning. The facility houses areas for community activities and group meetings, as well as zones for relaxation and quiet study. In addition, the commercial kitchen is the first of its kind on campus, providing expanded dining options and potential opportunities for future culinary programs.
The building’s aesthetic was designed as a balance between contemporary and traditional architectural styles, according to the Calhoun website. The front entry will be comprised of a two-story glass atrium that functions as the main student lobby and as the portal to the rest of the facility.
Outdoor areas were also designed to support the user experience by providing options for individual and group gatherings. These outdoor spaces include seat walls, furnishings, canopies, and planters that can be utilized throughout the year to extend the indoor/outdoor experience for students and visitors alike.
Programmatically, the building highlights include large flexible recreation and meeting rooms, retail and dining zones, and semi-private study rooms for focused learning. The first floor, encompassing 17,475 square feet, houses the more active spaces such as a social seating lobby, reception area, coffee shop, bookstore, and multifunctional student commons. The lobby transitions into a dining and kitchen facility designed to serve a variety of food choices for students and staff. The second floor, totaling 12,330 square feet, features more focused areas including a library, independent study pods, a computer training area, staff offices, and a flexible meeting room.
Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC) provided architecture, civil engineering, geotechnical engineering, and landscape architecture services for the project. Additional project partners included Jackson Renfro & Associates, MW/Davis Dumas & Associates, Slaton Designworks, Tucker-Jones Engineers and Camacho Associates.
