Comprised of state-of-the-art research and teaching labs, classrooms, unique study spaces, and faculty offices for both the Chemistry and Biology Departments, the New Science Building demonstrates Rhodes’ commitment to excellence in higher education.

The new book-end building to the Paul Barret Jr. Library, completes and redefines the Troutt Quad. The lower level connects to the existing, below-grade science departments of neighboring Frazier Jelke. The Collegiate Gothic design is infused with contemporary monumental glazing, and streamlined detailing throughout, taking its cues from the rich tradition and heritage of Rhodes College.

The renovation to Briggs Science Center provides a large, flexible, multipurpose room at the center of that campus for hosting lectures, seminars and receptions. Supporting break-out spaces and lounges provide comfortable areas for student gathering and study. The patios at the north and south sides extend from the multipurpose room and lounge and provide inviting exterior spaces and tie to the quad to the north and the greened and re-landscaped Frazier Jelke plaza to the south. The renovation also supports the growth of the Computer Science Department by consolidating computer classrooms, seminar spaces, a research virtual reality lab, and faculty offices in one building to promote a connection between faculty and students.

Hidden within the thoroughly traditional exterior of the University of Mary Washington’s new Information and Technology Convergence Center is a hub of innovation and modernity: part creativity laboratory, part advanced digital resources nexus, and part showcase for practices and results. With massive digital archives capacity, the building and its technology represent a central point of access for ultra high quality, network based resources. Straddling the Campus Walk the university’s iconic orienting element the Hurley Center provides a physical and functional connection to the Simpson Library as well as a place for partnership and collaboration across disciplines.

The Georgian exterior blends seamlessly with its context while a sheer glass “slice” through the building hints to the 21st century program within. Inside, this window provides generous views and brings in filtered natural light. Open volumes and transparency encourage exploration of the various rooms and spaces that make the latest technology accessible to students and help faculty explore, train, and master the tools that support teaching increasingly tech savvy students. The self service workstations, collaboration studios, multi media and motion capture labs, classrooms, seminar rooms, a 200 seat auditorium, a cafe, and more are all furnished with a wide range of flexible pieces and punctuated with warm, vibrant finishes.

As Virginia Tech looks to the future of its innovative partnership with Amazon in Northern Virginia, the Blacksburg campus is growing to accommodate Amazon adjacent to campus. This mixed-use development will bring 260,000 square feet of Class A office/research/innovation space to the University. Sited at the edge of campus as the transition point into downtown, the development promotes a more walkable urban district.  

Ground-floor retail and restaurants activate the street as outdoor seating areas that spill out of the building and onto the wide sidewalks, while the uppermost floor is animated by rooftop terraces overlooking downtown. Another terrace area on the sixth floor features a unique rooftop venue that overlooks the campus and includes a bar, catering kitchen, outdoor fire pits and television screens to host a variety of events ranging from weddings to tailgates. The exterior aesthetic transitions seamlessly to interior spaces, minimizing the threshold between inside and out, and reinforcing building identity with a palette that balances modern materiality and timeless simplicity. Daylight is intentionally brought deep into the building, enlivening public zones and common spaces, while maintaining visual connections to the outside.

The interior design concept for the lobby makes a connection to New Town, the African American community that thrived in Blacksburg during the first half of the 20th Century. Building users are greeted by the lines of New Town’s former streets with the 1905 community map articulated on the terrazzo floor. The lines converge at a single embedded point—the Historic Odd Fellow’s Hall—reinforcing the significance of African American history and culture in Blacksburg and giving a testament to the past in a place that represents a gateway to the future.