Clark To Build New Virginia Tech Research Facility in Northern Virginia

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) is building a research facility in the Ballston area of Arlington, Va. This location will provide Virginia Tech researchers and scholars in Ballston, Blacksburg, and other sites in the national capital region better access to scientific communities, industry, and government agencies that grapple with trans-disciplinary, complex problems important to the nation's future.  It will also foster interaction among these groups as they engage in applied and basic research that focus on critical national issues and scientific inquiry. Clark Construction Group, LLC, was awarded the contract to build the 144,000 square-foot facility at 900 North Glebe Road.  

Clark is responsible for core and shell construction of the project, which includes six stories of office and research space, one story of retail space, and three levels of below-grade parking. Additionally, Clark will construct a 6,600 square-foot public plaza south of the building. The Virginia Tech Research Facility will feature a skin of pre-cast concrete, curtain wall, and punched windows. The building's main lobby will showcase dolomite limestone, also known as "Hokie Stone" -- a material commonly used on Virginia Tech's Blacksburg campus.  

The building owner, VTRI, LLC, has designed this building to achieve LEED® Silver certification.  

The new building will be a hub for computational research and will house centers that include the Virginia Tech Advanced Research Institute (ARI), the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI), and the Center for Geospatial Information Technology (CGIT).   

Clark recently completed on-site demolition, as well as excavation, and sheeting and shoring work under a separate contract earlier this year. Construction on the project began in fall 2009 with completion scheduled for spring 2011.