Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Virginia Commonwealth Shows Off New Engineering Research Building — Virtually

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 02/04/21

Virginia Commonwealth Shows Off New Engineering Research Building — Virtually

Virginia Commonwealth University's College of Engineering is celebrating the opening of its new Engineering Research Building this week — virtually.

According to the university, the 133,000-square-foot building is intended to support advanced research and economic development initiatives with a design that emphasizes makerspaces, collaborative research facilities and flexible gathering areas. Maker resources will include 3D printing, bench electrical fabrication, tabletop equipment and hand tools, industrial-scale manual and CNC mills and lathes.

Virginia Commonwealth Shows Off New Engineering Research Building — Virtually

Situated in in close proximity to both one of the institution's engineering buildings and its School of Business, the new structure significantly expands the college's laboratory capacity.

Virginia Commonwealth Shows Off New Engineering Research Building — Virtually

Among the features of the new facility are:

  • Interdisciplinary research laboratories;

  • Experiential learning facilities;

  • Meeting and gathering spaces;

  • Informal meeting and study areas;

  • A career services center;

  • Wired outdoor work and gathering spaces; and

  • The "Ram Bytes" café.

University and elected officials were expected to participate in a ribbon cutting broadcast and tour over Zoom on Feb. 3, 2021.

Virginia Commonwealth Shows Off New Engineering Research Building — Virtually

Planning was initially done in 2015. The design was done by Richmond-based architecture firm Baskervill and Boston-based firm Goody Clancy.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.

  • Higher Ed is Betting on New Buildings While Quietly Undermining Their Campuses — Here’s Why

    In this climate, the owner’s representative has changed from a delivery-focused advisor to a strategic campus partner. Institutions are increasingly relying on owner’s reps not just to manage, cope, schedule, and budget, but also help evaluate whether a project should proceed at all.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey

    Spaces4Learning recently launched the 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey, which collects data on the previous year’s K–12 and higher education construction projects nationwide.

  • Designing for Every Mind

    Learning environments have the power to shape not just what students know, but who they become. When a school is designed with genuine empathy—for the full range of ways students think, sense, and engage with the world—it becomes more than a building. It becomes a catalyst for growth, confidence, and belonging. That is the animating idea behind neurodiverse design, and it is one that is transforming how more architects and designers are thinking about school design.