Center for Housing Research receives $50 million contract extension
Virginia Tech’s Center for Housing Research, in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, has been awarded a two-year extension on its second indefinite quantity contract (IQC) with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The IQC has an umbrella value of up to $50 million.
The Center for Housing Research is one of a select few contractors nationwide that performs research for HUD on residential building technology and affordable housing.
The extension is attributed to the Center for Housing Research's sound national reputation in the area of residential technology research and the excellent relationship the center has established with HUD. The government chose to extend the contract through April 2008 and praised the Center for Housing Research for a job well done.
To date, the Center for Housing Research has secured task orders for more than $1.6 million under the umbrella contract, in addition to completing more than $1.3 million in work under the first IQC awarded by HUD.
In conducting research under the IQC, the Center for Housing Research draws on experts both from within and outside of the university. Faculty members currently serving as principal investigators on individual task orders are all within the College of Architecture and Urban Studies: Michael O’Brien, the Jamerson Professor of Building Construction and the Center’s associate director for housing technology research; Thom Mills, associate professor of building construction; Ted Koebel, urban affairs and planning chair and the Center’s senior associate; Casey Dawkins, urban affairs and planning assistant professor and the Center’s director; John Randolph, School of Public and International Affairs director and urban affairs and planning professor; and Chris Nelson, urban affairs and planning graduate program director and professor in Alexandria, Va. These key personnel are joined by other faculty in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies and by faculty from other colleges at Virginia Tech.
As the IQC places a strong emphasis on partnerships with small or small disadvantaged businesses, the Center for Housing Research teams with a variety of subcontractors who have expertise in building technology. One key subcontractor is G3 Systems, Inc., located in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center. G3 Systems contributes expertise in 3D modeling and information systems integration.
The College of Architecture and Urban Studies is one of the largest of its type in the nation. The college is composed of two schools and the departments of landscape architecture, building construction, and art and art history. The School of Architecture + Design includes programs in architecture, industrial design and interior design. The School of Public and International Affairs includes programs in urban affairs and planning, public administration and policy, and government and international affairs. The college enrolls more than 2,000 students offering 22 degrees programs taught by 160 faculty members.
