VCU Developments

[wrldcoupe4]

check out the crane!! oh yea... new tower at MCV:)

this is courtesy of Ryan Ramsey and just a small part of his fantastic work on RCW....

part of his new september gallery....

[wrldcoupe4]

a couple of updates on VCU's construction rampage...

The Monroe Park Campus Expansion:

According to the TD, it will face Main St, and be bound by "Madison, Belvidere and West Cary streets."

The School of Business will cost $42.07 million; Phase II, the School of Engineering will cost $42.8 million. Ground breaking should be on Nov. 1...."Overall, the Monroe Park Campus Addition, which will encompass these projects and others, will be a $200 million-plus complex east of Belvidere Street between Main and Canal streets. Other projects in the complex are expected to include the new home of the VCU Adcenter, a renovation of the Belting Building; student housing; an underground parking deck; and an executive training conference center."

[wrldcoupe4]

VCU Medical Center Expansion updates:

Nursing School Rendering:

Current expansions at MCV are coming in at a cost of $225 million. The major portions include the "new critical-care hospital next to main hospital; new nursing school at Leigh and North Seventh streets; Massey Cancer Center research building addition on College Street; a new parking deck."

The new critical-care tower and nursing school will be finished in 2007 with Massey Cancer Centers expansion complete by the end of this year.

and for some background:

" The $17 million nursing school will replace the old one at 1220 E. Broad St. The $160 million, 356,000-square-foot critical-care hospital will have 11 above-ground stories. The $30 million Massey addition will house research facilities. The $18 million parking deck is at North Eighth and Duval streets."

VCU Medical Center Expansions....

[burt]

Well, I commented elsewhere on this. Notes: the nursing school is at 12th and Leigh - not at 7th. We all thought the Bed hospital would be at least 15 floors, but apparently the side facing the White House will be only 11 stories high. That should make the Confederates at least 3 floors happier!!

And I was going to "eschew" emoticons!!! Haha.

Over on RCW there was much puzzlement over what was happening at 8th between Jackson and Duval. Now we all know for sure it will be a new VCU Medical parking deck.

Also, I wasn't aware that the Monroe Campus (Business & Engineering schools, residences, etc.) was to be built in phases. I thought it was going to be one big gung-ho project.

Edited September 11, 2005 by burt

[wrldcoupe4]

I think they still want it finished by 2007-8.... unless we don't know something, such as cuts in state funding etc...

[burt]

I think they still want it finished by 2007-8.... unless we don't know something, such as cuts in state funding etc...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No. It's been funded by Mr. Goodwin's largess and a big endowment, so I don't think funding is the problem. Besides, delays only spike up the costs, i.e. VAPAF.

[wrldcoupe4]

good point burt... maybe it's easier to build it in phases? lol I don't know to be honest.

[wrldcoupe4]

The new VCU Monroe Park Expansion for the new Engineering and Business schools looks awesome!!! This is from that 4-page insert in the TD last weekend:

and another:

[PeninsulaKiddo]

WOW. It's really good to see VCU growing up and I can see this really helping out the communities surrounding the school.

I start my college application process in about 2-3 months and VCU is on my list for its good pre-med program. With all this new construction I'm pretty excited about it

[wrldcoupe4]

awesome! Speaking of all the new construction and pre-med, here are projects currently happening at VCU Medical Center (MCV):

Under way:

Massey Cancer Center Research

addition labs, office space, 80,000 sq. ft, $43 million

VCU 8th and Duval Parking Deck

1,000 spaces, $17.9 million

VCU Gateway Building

patient care and testing,

215,000 sq. ft., $61million

VCU Hunton Hall, renovation, student commons, dining area, 25,000 sq. ft., $6 million

VCU Medical Center Critical Care Hospital acute and intensive care units, 350,000 sq. ft., 15 stories, 234 beds, $149 million

VCU Sanger Hall, lab renovations, 500,000 sq. ft., $14.9 million

VCU School of Nursing, high-tech educational facility, 70,000 sq. ft., $17 million

Planned:

Medical Sciences Building II

labs, reserachers

[burt]

This may be the wrong thread, but anyway!

The VCU Ad Center (under the guidance of the Martin Agency in Shockoe Slip) has won another honor. It just captured the top ATHENA award for creativity and excellence in newspaper advertising.

The Ad Center is to have new digs at the rebuilt and interesting Belting Building on South Jefferson street at Canal in the new Monroe Park Extension campus.

Edited September 30, 2005 by burt

[wrldcoupe4]

VCU has cleared a lot of property for it's expansion.... check out the Ram Cam from the engineering building for a bird's eye view and a great view of the city.

[burt]

VCU has cleared a lot of property for it's expansion.... check out the Ram Cam from the engineering building for a bird's eye view and a great view of the city.

I forgot. How do we get to that ramcam?

[wrldcoupe4]

VCU Ram Cams

Knock yourself out... 6 to choose from

[burt]

VCU Ram Cams

Knock yourself out... 6 to choose from

Wheeeeeee!!

[eandslee]

Wheeeeeee!!

Dang! It's too dark right now (9:00 PM in Richmond). I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow. I have been checking out those cameras from time to time (the last time, I believe, was just last week). It was good to see the old gas station torn down. Let's get this "ball" rolling and let's see some more construction! Richmond is in the midst of its second "Reconstruction".

[wrldcoupe4]

agreed... I bet this era is probably the largest building phase in Richmond's history since the post CivilWar Reconstruction.

It will be great to see VCU fill in that large swath of what was mostly parking lots and wasteland. Hopefully, private investment will pick up surrounding VCU's investment.... BowTie isn't too far away

[wrldcoupe4]

And so it has officially begun!

"Major VCU expansion underway

Richmond Times-Dispatch

Nov 1, 2005

Virginia Commonwealth University broke ground this morning for the largest project in the university's history -- the construction of the $228 million Monroe Park Campus Addition.

The 11-acre site is on a largely underdeveloped tract in downtown Richmond, east of Belvidere Street, between Main and Canal streets.

The first phase of the project will encompass a new School of Business and an expansion of the School of Engineering, along with renovation of an historic building as the new home of the university's award-winning graduate advertising program, the VCU Adcenter."

VCU Monroe Park Campus Expansion breaks ground!

[burt]

If this is Phase #1, how many other phases are there and when will they begin, I wonder? It's very exciting! VCU is a major university and I think has the largest enrollment (30,000) in the State, unless Va. Tech is the leader. Its location truly makes it an urban institution. It is a powerhouse driving dowentown's renaissance.

Edited November 1, 2005 by burt

[wrldcoupe4]

actually I think GMU is has the largest enrollment

But I'm VERY pleased with what VCU has done over the years and all of its contributions to the city. It's turned blighted areas into a fantastic institition.

[burt]

actually I think GMU is has the largest enrollment

But I'm VERY pleased with what VCU has done over the years and all of its contributions to the city. It's turned blighted areas into a fantastic institition.

But you're including all the satalite enrollments. I asked specifically about Fairfax. I don't think it approaches VCU.

[wrldcoupe4]

but that's the thing... It's a 'distributed' university. While Fairfax is the main campus, the other campuses serve major roles for the university, and many students take shuttles between the 3 campuses. It's all GMU... it isn't like for example, UNC-Charlotte, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Greensboro, or something like that.

Employing the revolutionary concept of the "distributed" university, George Mason acquired the George Mason University School of Law and a campus in Arlington in 1979. The Prince William Campus was established in Prince William County in 1997. The 150 acres that once was the entire George Mason University campus has become the 677-acre Fairfax Campus. Mason began having classes in Loudoun in the fall of 2005.

The Prince William Campus is an integral part of George Mason's distributed University. The primary focus of the Prince William campus is high-tech/bio-tech and emphasizes bioinformatics, biotechnology, forensic biosciences educational and research programs in addition to computer and information technology.

The Arlington Campus is a key component of George Mason University's plan for the "distributed university." The concept of the distributed university is one university with multiple campuses, each of which has a specific focus reflected in its course offerings.

The academic units currently represented at the Arlington Campus include:

* College of Arts and Sciences

* College of Education and Human Development

* College of Visual and Performing Arts

* Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution

* School of Law

* School of Management

* School of Public Policy

It has more than 29,000 students enrolled and distributed across its three campuses at Fairfax, Arlington, and Prince William Counties, and two satellite sites in Loudoun County and Reston. Each campus has a distinctive academic focus that plays a critical role in the economy of its region.

Since students attend multiple campuses for classes, it would be unfair to just count the Fairfax campus when comparing it to other universities... did I make any sense?

[wrldcoupe4]

VCU breaks ground on $228 million addition

"Groundbreaking for Virginia Commonwealth University's largest construction project in its history -- the $228 million Monroe Park campus addition -- began with a shout yesterday from VCU President Eugene Trani.

"Are you ready?" Trani yelled, seizing the emotion of the day.....

All were bullish about the prospects for the new campus on an 11-acre site, east of Belvidere Street, that generally has been viewed as an underdeveloped area of the city.........

The new campus will be unlike any other part of the 29,000-student university and could become an instant landmark with the distinctive courtyards, tower and turrets called for in the plans.

The first phase will include construction of a new School of Business and an expansion of the School of Engineering, which are expected to add about 2,000 students overall.

The schools will be joined by a common atrium and student commons, and the schools will be creating courses for engineering and business students.

Also slated for the first phase is an 800-vehicle underground parking garage. The garage and the schools are to open in August 2007. The first 400-bed residence hall is expected to be ready for the 2008 fall semester.

Other construction will include renovation of the historic Central Belting Building -- formerly a carriage house for The Jefferson Hotel -- as the new home of the VCU Adcenter, which some surveys have consistently ranked as the No. 1 graduate advertising program in the country........."

Edited November 2, 2005 by wrldcoupe4

[wrldcoupe4]

burt.... Phase II will include a second set of new dorms, as well as an executive conference center, but a timetable for construction has not been established yet. Phase I will take 21 months to complete.

[wrldcoupe4]

they were even doing some demolition down there today (sunday) A lot of land has been cleared. I'm REALLY excited about this project. Definitely will be an improvement!