Radford Selects Construction Firm for $102M Arts, Innovation Facility

Radford University in Radford, Va., has selected construction and development firm Skanska to build its new, $102-million Center for Adaptive Innovation and Creativity (CAIC). The 177,917-square-foot facility will replace the existing College of Visual and Performing Arts and provide interdisciplinary student spaces. Skanska’s portion of the project is set to cost $80.5 million.

The building will be the largest capital project in the university’s history, in terms of both square footage and total funding. The facility will create space for collaboration among the university’s arts, health sciences, and technology programs. Its amenities will include a 475-seat performing arts auditorium; fashion, interior design, and health sciences labs; painting, drawing, music, and dance studios; maker and printer spaces; and classrooms, administrative offices, and collaboration space.

“The new Center for Adaptive Innovation and Creativity will offer the most modern classrooms that are adaptable for not only how classes are taught today, but how they are envisioned for the future,” said Radford University President Brian Hemphill. “The new building is of the utmost importance to the students, faculty and staff at Radford University and will provide much-needed space to welcome and inspire its users for generations to come.”

Work is scheduled to begin in June 2021 and to be finished by the end of 2023. The facility was designed by Hord Coplan Macht, Inc.

“We are excited to enhance the educational experience of the students, faculty and staff at Radford University,” said Greg Peele, executive vice president for Skanska’s North Carolina and Virginia building operations. “The new CAIC building will allow for the integration of programs for innovative research, study and socialization with modern amenities and spaces for students to prosper.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • A digital silhouette works at a computer, immersed in a glowing, interconnected world

    How Will AI Transform Learning Space Design?

    For years, higher education has designed learning spaces around technology as a tool for display, capture, collaboration, and connectivity. AI changes that equation.

  • University of Oklahoma Announces New Campus Master Plan

    The University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., recently announced that it will soon launch a new, comprehensive Campus Master Plan to guide the campus’ physical development during the next decade, according to a news release.

  • Ohio State University Opens 26-Story Hospital

    The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center recently opened in Columbus, Ohio, standing 26 stories and covering 1.9 million square feet, according to a university news release. The project marks ten years of effort and is the university’s largest single-facility construction project ever.

  • Houston-Area High School Breaks Ground on 117,000SF Multi-Use Facility

    North Shore Senior High School, part of Galena Park ISD in Houston, Texas, recently broke ground on a new multi-use facility for student extracurriculars, according to a news release. The North Shore Multi-Use Facility will include dedicated practice and training space for the school’s athletics and fine arts programs.