A global land grant institution sets its sights on connecting a network of campuses, while enhancing infrastructure and mobility, resiliency, and campus amenities
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Campus Master Plan Update
Sasaki's work provides an armature for future development over the next 30 years and a framework for promoting improved physical access throughout campus
The Virginia Tech Master Plan guides the physical development of the Blacksburg, Roanoke, and National Capital Region campuses to support the vision of the academic strategic plan, Beyond Boundaries.
The master plan envisions the global land grant institution as a thriving interconnected system of campuses with enhanced infrastructure and mobility, vibrant mixed use districts, interdisciplinary academic facilities, resilient natural systems, and improved campus life amenities.
Opportunities for renovation, redevelopment, and new districts are proposed within an integrated land use, open space, circulation, and infrastructure framework
Three areas of focus for the framework plan
As VT’s mission has grown from a regional to a global focus, the campus has evolved to support changing priorities
Completed and planned facilities are informed by the recommendations of the plan
As VT’s mission has grown from a regional to a global focus, the campus has evolved to support changing priorities
Completed and planned facilities are informed by the recommendations of the plan
The plan aims to establish a long-term and forward looking vision that will place Virginia Tech at the forefront of higher education. The emerging vision is one defined by “destination areas”—the themes around which interdisciplinary teaching, research, and outreach activities will be organized. This implies a move toward a more interdisciplinary and dynamic range of programs, activities, and partnerships with other institutions, businesses, and industries.
Several design strategies are proposed to enhance the campus experience in each of the districts
Innovative high-tech, high-touch design and communication tools engage the whole campus community
Mixed-use districts are proposed in response to new mission-related academic and research programs while preserving the historic landscapes and agricultural areas of the campus
Infill development is proposed in the context of the historic landscapes and architectural character of the campus to accommodate projected growth, new interdisciplinary academic and research facilities, amenities, and residence halls
This emerging vision will require a new strategy for the Blacksburg campus, the Roanoke campus, and for Virginia Tech’s sites in the National Capital Region. It will require:
- New ways of organizing people and space with the goal of fostering engagement, interaction, and collaboration.
- Spatial arrangements will need to encourage innovation and new working relationships that go beyond established disciplines.
- Innovation districts, collaboration hubs, and a more deliberate integration of living and learning environments are anticipated outcomes.
Environments that enable students to explore the full range of what Virginia Tech has to offer but with the guidance and direction that will lead to academic success.
The Creativity and Innovation District Framework provides recommendations for new facilities to support university programs and partnerships with local businesses and institutions. Improvements to the public-realm are designed to link the activities of the university with the adjacent downtown.
Enhanced pedestrianization promotes a connective public realm that bridges campus and downtown
A network of Commons along major circulation corridors serves the distributed population and districts of the campus
The existing underutilized plaza in North Academic District is reimagined as “Tech Square,” a new center for student life activities
Existing buildings surrounding “Tech Square” are transformed to create the Central Campus Commons, providing student life amenities in the North Academic District
The Infinite Loop is integrated with a proposed plaza landscape and addresses challenging slope conditions
The Infinite Loop is a research-minded 2.1-mile multi-modal corridor connecting each campus district and existing and new student life hubs
Even in its steepest section, the Infinite Loop creates a direct and barrier-free promenade that connects studentlife-amenities to the residential core
The Infinite Loop is integrated with a proposed plaza landscape and addresses challenging slope conditions
The Infinite Loop is a research-minded 2.1-mile multi-modal corridor connecting each campus district and existing and new student life hubs
Even in its steepest section, the Infinite Loop creates a direct and barrier-free promenade that connects studentlife-amenities to the residential core
The Central Link connects the Drillfield with the higher elevation of the North Academic District while the Arts Link transitions from the high point of the campus to the Creativity and Innovation District
A new green at the Central Campus Commons integrates the Infinite Loop and Central Link in a renewed context featuring an amphitheater and integrated stormwater management
The O’Shaughnessy Link addresses exterior and interior accessibility through an existing residential district
The new Cowgill Commons lies at the fulcrum of future campus energy—the point at which the Infinite Loop and the Green Links intersect. The Infinite Loop redefines mobility and its systematic connection to open space.
For more information contact Greg Havens.
