A grand opening of the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus in Potomac Yard was held Feb. 28 in Potomac Yard.
An official ribbon-cutting was held Feb. 28 to celebrate the grand opening of the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus in Potomac Yard with more than 1,000 people on hand to witness the christening of the new graduate school facility.
“I have been waiting nearly five years to say these words --- we are open,” said Lance Collins, vice president and executive director of the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus. “We are so honored to have all of you here to celebrate this historic achievement.”
The new facility is the first academic building on the Innovation Campus in Alexandria, which was initially conceived as part of the bid to attract Amazon’s second headquarters to the region.
The 11-story building spans 300,000 square feet and is located at 3625 Potomac Ave. Construction was completed in January when 500 students began attending classes at the new location.
Referred to as Academic Building One, the facility is home to a public visitor's center, the Boeing Auditorium, 14 classrooms, a two-story drone testing cage, a cyber physical lab for testing wireless technology, and a center for artificial intelligence and data analytics.
Also included are a center dedicated to K-12 education, a roof deck, wellness spaces like a stretching station and relaxation rooms, a maker's space with 3D printing tools, and an immersive visualization lab, where art and data can be projected visually onto the walls and floors.
An outdoor classroom and multiple plazas are part of the landscaped green space surrounding the building, which sits on three-and-a-half acres.
The grand opening event was briefly interrupted shortly after the arrival of Governor Glenn Youngkin as protestors approached the stage singing “Ain’t Gonna Study War No More.” Flyers condemning Virginia Tech’s relationship with Amazon, BAE Systems and Boeing were passed out reading “The Virginia Tech Innovation Campus proudly boasts at least four of the world’s largest weapons manufacturers as our sponsors!” The disruption lasted just over five minutes before the program continued as planned.
Amazon selected National Landing for the location of its East Coast corporate office, also known as HQ2, in 2018 with the first phase of HQ2 opening in May 2023. National Landing encompasses parts of Crystal City and Pentagon City in Arlington and Potomac Yard in Alexandria.
The SmithGroup served as architects for the roughly $1 billion Virginia Tech Innovation Campus project.