How tech ticks: Academic Building One
A CAPITAL INVESTMENT
BUILDING THE TECH TALENT PIPELINE
Virginia Tech’s Academic Building One in Alexandria, Virginia, focuses on sustainability, emphasizes health and wellness, and creates spaces that foster a sense of community—all designed with cutting-edge technologies befitting of a university making moves in the fields of computer science and computer engineering. The new building is just across the Potomac River from the National Mall and some of the most recognizable landmarks in the world.
BOEING AUDITORIUM
- The Boeing Company is the first foundational partner of the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus and invested $50 million in May 2021.
- The 3,000-square-foot first floor large classroom/auditorium includes a 60-foot wide screen and has capacity for 200 people (classroom style) or 300 people (auditorium style).
IMMERSIVE VISUALIZATION LAB
- The lab provides a fully immersive experience that brings life to student projects, course material, and more. It can interact in real time with the Advanced Research Computing Visionarium in Blacksburg.
SPECIALTY LAB SPACES
- The new facility includes lab spaces for quantum and wireless research as well as a 1,340-square-foot cyber physical lab attached to the drone cage for building, fixing, and diagnosing drones.
THE LOFT
- This two-story, collaborative maker space is where students, faculty, and the community will design, experiment, and create.
K-12 INITIATIVES CENTER
- K-12 programming at the new building strives to:
- Make computer science and STEM accessible for all.
- Partner with K-12 teachers to transform classroom instruction.
- Some K-12 activities include:
- Drone soccer program.
- STEM fairs.
- K-12 STEM and Computer Science Teacher.
- Professional Development Program.
- After-school programming.
- K-12 Initiatives are supported by an educational grant from Amazon.
HOKIE ONE STOP
- The Hokie One Stop is a centralized, student-focused service center. It offers an initial point of contact for students and visitors and will include at least one staff member from the Graduate School, Cook Counseling Center, Cranwell International Center, Career and Professional Development, Office of Veterans Affairs, and others.
DRONE CAGE
- The 465-square-foot, two-story indoor drone testing cage can connect live with Blacksburg’s drone park. An outdoor drone cage is not possible because D.C. and nearby Ronald Reagan International Airport are restricted air spaces.
ROOF DECK TERRACE
- With capacity for up to 300 people, the 4,500-square-foot rooftop terrace offers views of the monuments in the D.C. skyline, Arlington to the left, and Alexandria to the right.
ACADEMIC CONNECTION
The new building is home to Master of Engineering programs in computer engineering and computer science and applications, as well as Pamplin College of Business programs including:
- Online Master of Information Technology.
- Evening and online MBA programs.
- Executive Ph.D. program.
- Master of Science in business administration-hospitality.
- Tourism management program.
- Online business information technology-cybersecurity management and analytics undergraduate program.
