Where Disney Magic Meets Student Living in Florida

Exuding the whimsy of Disney, Flamingo Crossings Village (FCV) in Winter Garden, Florida, was created to house students of Walt Disney World’s College Intern Program. The 154-acre development in two separate parcels includes 2,614 units with 10,440 beds; two 25,0000-square-foot community centers; the 25,024-square-foot Disney Education Center; and vast resort-style amenities.

Designed with pedestrians in mind, the 5,247 surface parking spaces and vehicular traffic was pushed to the periphery to allow a center quad on each site. Inspired by the magical entrances of Disney parks and resorts, the FCV East Education (Apprentice Hall) and Community Center buildings sit united under one gestural roof.

“The space between them is transformed into an open threshold ‘main street’ that serves as the passageway into the Disney collegiate experience. This ‘building as threshold’ architecturally signifies the students’ movement into the next phase of their lives. It opens itself with its transparent interiors, the dynamic slash of its skylight, and the predicted Floridian breeze created in its sheltering porch,” the project application reads.

Taking on a different form, the FCV West’s Community Center features an open porch and colonnade that acts as the front door of the project. The streamlined southern elevation of the building, which faces a pool, is broken up by a glass “iceberg” of windows that allows the interior to playfully pop out.

The residential buildings with two- to four-bedroom units conform to a courtyard prototype maximizing four-story density and complement the clean, modern constructs of the community buildings. Residents have access to four pools; six-hoop basketball, and sand volleyball courts; indoor and outdoor gaming; 24-hour fitness centers; group and private spaces for study; multifamily grilling stations; and a pedestrian security pavilion.