Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Virginia Tech Tops Out New College of Engineering Building

  • By Matt Jones
  • 07/09/26

Key Takeaways

  • Virginia Tech celebrated the topping out of the 285,500-square-foot Mitchell Hall, a five-story engineering facility scheduled for completion in winter 2028 that will become the largest College of Engineering building on campus.
  • The new building will house classrooms, instructional labs, and research spaces for multiple engineering disciplines while preserving an existing facility that contains one of the nation's largest university-owned wind tunnels.
  • Built by Skanska, the project has reached the topping-out milestone after using more than 18,000 cubic yards of concrete, 2,600 tons of reinforcing steel, and approximately 300,000 work hours, continuing the firm's longstanding partnership with Virginia Tech.

 

Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., recently celebrated the topping out of Mitchell Hall, which will soon stand as the largest College of Engineering building on campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with Skanska on the 285,500-square-foot facility, which has an expected completion date of winter 2028.

The five-story building will feature academic classrooms and instruction labs, as well as research lab space for the “aerospace and ocean engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, and engineering education programs,” according to the news release. The facility is being built around an existing one that contains one of the largest university-owned wind tunnels in the U.S., preserving the old building within the new layout.

“Every person on this team has brought remarkable skill and dedication to Mitchell Hall, and that commitment shows in what we've built so far,” said Mark Balling, the Skanska Mid-Atlantic region’s executive vice president and general manager. "We’re honored to deliver another facility for Virginia Tech that represents a bold step forward not just for today's students and faculty, but for the many generations that follow.”

Construction stats include 18,321 cubic yards of concrete, 2,600 tons of reinforcing steel, and about 300,000 work hours (162,000 of those from the concrete subcontractor), according to the news release.

The university has previously partnered with Skanska on the Virginia Tech Undergraduate Science Laboratory Building, completed in 2025, and the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Addition in Roanoke, completed in 2020.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Surging Demand for Student Housing Fuels Major Campus Investment Opportunities

    University leaders throughout the U.S. are accelerating plans to modernize and expand student housing as enrollment stabilizes and demand for on-campus living rebounds. Recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that total postsecondary enrollment is projected to grow through the end of the decade, with undergraduate enrollment alone expected to increase by more than 8 percent by 2030.

  • From Approval to Opening: Inside Travis Unified School District’s Fast Tracked Campus Expansion

    The Travis Unified School District (TUSD) in northern California includes several elementary and high schools serving over 5,400 students. In 2024, the TUSD Board approved the addition of sixth grade to the Golden West Middle School campus for the 2025–26 school year, setting in motion an accelerated effort to bring new facilities online in less than a year.

  • Texas District Breaks Ground on Second High School

    The Waller Independent School District in Waller, Texas, recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for what will become its second high school, according to a news release.

  • Wold Architects & Engineers Announces Acquisition of JJCA

    Wold Architects & Engineers, based in Minneapolis, Minn., recently announced that it has acquired JJCA, an architecture firm based in Nashville, Tenn., according to a press release. JJCA specializes in healthcare and education design; the partnership allows both firms to expand their presence across the country while building on existing strengths.