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

  • 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.

  • Chartwells Launches Campus Dining Evaluation Framework

    Contract food-service management provider Chartwells Higher Education recently announced the launch of BLUEPRINT, according to a news release. The evaluation framework was designed to provide a data-driven and customizable roadmap towards optimizing campus dining services and, by extension, the student experience.

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.

  • Photo credit - Chuck Coates

    Florida District Modernizes Central Energy Plants at Two High Schools

    Flagler Schools, a public school district in Flagler County, Fla., recently partnered with Matern Professional Engineering to modernize the central energy plants at two of its high schools, according to a news release. The project is part of a larger, district-wide effort to reduce energy costs and operational expenses.