New Virginia Tech building opens, providing students with state-of-the-art learning spaces

16 Aug 2016

The Classroom Building includes 15 classrooms and four labs designed for interdisciplinary use by students and faculty across the university. It is the first academic building at Virginia Tech that does not include any administrative office space.

This fall, nearly 10,000 students will begin taking classes in the university’s newest facility, the Classroom Building.

Located at the corner of Perry Street and West Campus Drive, the $42 million three-story, 73,400-square-foot building contains 15 state-of-the-art classrooms and four interdisciplinary teaching laboratories with seats for more than 1,450 students, as well as study rooms and group meeting space. The new learning spaces are designed to support increasingly interactive and technology-driven learning experiences.

“The demand for learning environments that support collaboration and deep engagement has grown steadily in the past five to 10 years” according to Jill Sible, assistant provost for undergraduate education. “The realization of an entire building that supports this type of learning is a dream come true for many faculty and students who have been pioneering this type of learning experience. This amazing building truly sets Virginia Tech apart.”

The classrooms have features that include moveable furnishings, wall-mounted writing spaces, and multiple screens for projecting shared material and student work. Some rooms were configured as SCALE-UP classrooms, a specific design that facilitates team-based, active learning as an alternative to lectures, even for large-enrollment classes.

The building includes rooms that can be subdivided and readily reconfigured as the instructional needs, technologies, and teaching methods change over time.

The new building was constructed to LEED certification standards, a designation given by the U.S. Green Building Council for structures that use the very best in energy and environmental design.

The Classroom Building is an integral component of the planned future development of the North Academic Precinct, which is currently anchored by Goodwin Hall. Future projects will include the planned Undergraduate Science Laboratory and the Multi-Modal Transit Facility.

The location of the Classroom Building adjacent to other instructional buildings is intended to minimize travel time between classes for students and faculty. The location is also convenient to students commuting from off-campus.

EYP Architecture & Engineering of Washington, D.C., designed the building, and WM Jordan Company Inc. of Newport News was the construction manager.