Virginia Commonwealth University to Build New Honors Dorms

Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., recently moved forward with plans to build a new residence hall for honors students.

Local news reports that a vacant building adjacent to its campus has been demolished in preparation for the construction. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2024 and finish by fall 2026, according to Meredith Weiss, VCU Vice President for Administration.

According to local news, the project is a direct response to an increased demand for more on-campus housing. The facility will also feature amenities like office space, teaching space, collaborative areas and an event space for the Honors College. The dorm’s exact capacity is still in the planning stages, but it will hold more students than the current honors residence hall, which has 177 beds. The VCU website reports that about 700+ beds are anticipated.

The new dorm’s construction is part of the university’s Six-Year Capital Plan, which encompasses multiple construction projects around campus. Also planned are a new Arts and Innovation Academic Building and a new IT Center.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Nashville Elementary School Receives LEED Gold Certification

    Goodlettsville Elementary School, part of Metro Nashville Public Schools in Nashville, Tenn., recently achieved LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), according to a news release. The 81,750-square-foot school opened in 2023 and was designed by Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC).

  • Building Beyond Simulation: Creating Immersive Ecosystems for Healthcare Education

    Health sciences education is one of the fastest-growing facility types in colleges and universities. The demand for medical, nursing, and allied health professionals is driving the creation and renovation of medical simulation training facilities that provide students with real-world experience through advanced simulation-based learning.

  • Planning with Clarity: Using AI to Make Better Campus Decisions, Not Just Better Designs

    Higher education leaders are being asked to make increasingly high-stakes decisions about campus facilities amid greater uncertainty than ever before. Social and economic pressures, shifting enrollment, and evolving learning models compete with growing deferred maintenance needs to strain even the most robust infrastructure budgets.

  • University of Pennsylvania Releases Design of Future Physical Sciences Building

    The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in Philadelphia, Penn., recently released renderings of an upcoming 350,000-square-foot Physical Sciences Building, according to news release. The facility was designed by CO Architects and will unite the university’s departments of Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics, and Earth and Environmental Science.