First Virginia Tech Innovation Campus Building Nears Completion In Alexandria

VIRGINIA — Construction is nearing completion on the first building at the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus in Alexandria.

According to Virginia Tech, Academic Building One is expected to open to students in January 2025. The 11-story, 300,000-square-foot building is one of three the campus is planning on a 3.5-acre site in the Potomac Yard neighborhood.

"Without a doubt, it’s just a gorgeous building from the outside with remarkable shapes," said Lance Collins, vice president and executive director of the Innovation Campus. "Those faceted shapes to me are very distinctive. It will be iconic in the region, and it also features an interior that is very open and encouraging of collaboration."

The ground floor of the building will feature a two-story lobby and welcome center, as well as a large classroom with partitions to allow an auditorium use. A welcome center sits along the south side of the lobby. The second and upper floors host amenities and wellness spaces for students and faculty. The building's layout puts most offices in the center of each floor and common areas near windows. There are also several specialty labs in the building, including a two-story drone cage to test drones, and a ground floor area for students to present capstone projects.

Virginia Tech intended to bring elements from its main campus in Blacksburg to the new Alexandria campus. One example is a large green space near Academic Building One — and eventually near the other two academic buildings. The open space is modeled after the Blacksburg campus's Drillfield.

"[The Innovation Campus was an opportunity to create and bring a fuller vision of what a land-grant institution such as Virginia Tech can deliver for the state," said university architect Liza Morris. "We serve both the rural aspects of the state and the urban economy, and we want to have our campuses reflect this range."

Architectural firm SmithGroup used computational processes and artificial intelligence-informed building modeling techniques for the building design. The building will have a photovoltaic system on the building's facade using three technologies to generate electricity, including solar energy from the south and southeast sides. Vertical terracotta fins on the exterior will provide shade from excessive heat and glare inside the building.

"We have all this technology, but it’s in the service of the building occupants," said Sven Shockey, A Virginia Tech graduate who is vice president and design director at SmithGroup. "They can enjoy the views and the warmth of the building. We have photovoltaics accompanied by terracotta fins which give the building a very warm glow."

The Innovation Campus was announced in 2018 as part of the Amazon second headquarters. The first building broke ground in September 2021 and may be part of a larger mixed-use development by JBG Smith in Potomac Yard. JBG Smith had also proposed a Washington Capitals and Wizards arena and entertainment district with the teams' owner, but that plan did not advance.

The Innovation Campus plans to enroll 750 master's degree students and 200 doctoral degree students in computer science and computer engineering after the campus opens. The campus is currently enrolling more than 350 graduate students at Virginia Tech's Falls Church campus.