Architectural renderings of the first academic building for Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus in Alexandria have been filed with the city.
The university says the 300,000-square-foot building will provide instruction, research, office, and support spaces for graduate-level programs in Computer Science and Computer Engineering, as well as select other programs.
Experiential learning environments within the building will be designed to enhance the student experience with flexible multipurpose areas, research and testing labs, and maker spaces.
State-of-the-art computational and generative design techniques were used to inform the building’s unique geometry. The form was sculpted to capture sunlight and energy to maximize photovoltaic power generation. The building will be capped by a solar array, and photovoltaics will be incorporated into the glass of the facade.
The building design provides opportunities to capture daylight, while addressing solar heat gain, glare and occupant comfort. Occupants will have access to nature through connection to open space and parks in the district, and within the building via multiple terraces.
The ground floor will be welcoming and active, with exhibits in the lobby and transparency toward the campus green. The university can put science on display to better connect with the local community and attract future students.
The university expects to break ground in 2021 and open the building in fall 2024.
The architect is SmithGroup.
The Innovation Campus will consist of three buildings on about four acres near Alexandria’s border with Arlington County.
The new campus is being built as part of the state’s successful bid to attract Amazon to the region. The Innovation Campus will make its home in the first phase of a new mixed-use development and innovation district.
