Virginia Tech is about to open a new Innovation Campus in Alexandria. The big grand opening is Friday.
The Innovation Campus Academic Building One looks like something that arrived from outer space. It has a series of folding planes that were designed to maximize exposure to the sun in a way that harnesses solar energy for 500 grad students. They’ll be studying everything from machine learning and artificial intelligence to wireless technology and drones.
Sven Shockey led the design team for Smithgroup, and he likes the location in an old rail yard that was once a hub for trains.
"So now, we see it as a hub for the university," he says. "And I think our thought is that this location can – instead of being a hub for trains – can be a hub for ideas and collaborations with industry and government and other partnerships."
The grand opening will include an art installation using haptics to connect people in Alexandria to the Cube in Blacksburg and the Taubman Museum in Roanoke.
"You'll feel it because we’re using a device that basically pushes air onto your hands, and so you can feel the edges of that virtual stone in the remote place," says Ben Knapp at the Institute for Creativity, Arts and Technology. "And then if you touch the real stone, you'll feel in the real stone vibration of the virtual stone."
The grand opening is scheduled for Friday, when visitors can see the 11 story, 300,000 square foot facility and visit the drone testing cage.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
