VIRGINIA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CAMPUS

	Comprehensive Sign Plan In summer 2012, the university developed a campus-wide Comprehensive Sign Plan (CSP). The intent of the Plan is to provide a consistent and established set of guidelines for various types of signage throughout the VSTC. These guidelines clearly set forth the university’s expectations for quality, integrated signage as a means to enhance the visual environment of the Campus and provide clarity to pedestrian and vehicular wayfinding.  The Loudoun County Planning Commission unanimously voted to recommend approval of the Comprehensive Sign Plan at their December 19, 2012 meeting and the Plan was given final approval by the County Board of Supervisors at its February 13, 2013 public hearing. You can view the CSP here: Comprehensive Sign Plan.   For questions, please call 703-726-3673.

The George Washington University Virginia Science and Technology Campus (the “VSTC”) is located at University Center in Ashburn, Virginia and was initially established in 1991 with a gift of 50 acres from Robert H. Smith. Since that time the VSTC has grown to more than 120 acres and from one building to four, with additional office space in a multi-use condominium building within University Center and a fifth building slated to begin construction in late 2012.

The Campus has also expanded programmatically from its initial focus on graduate education and research and now offers a broad range of certificate, specialized undergraduate, master’s and doctoral programs in education, engineering, business and health sciences. Currently the VSTC is home to 17 research laboratories and distinctive centers of excellence focusing on areas such as transportation safety, high performance computing and sustainable energy as well as nearly 20 academic degree programs.  In addition to providing distinct opportunities for the GW community as an academic center focused on science, technology and research, the VSTC also provides office and support spaces for a number of university operational functions. In total, approximately 425 GW faculty and staff are employed at the Campus, and the VSTC provides educational and research opportunities for over 600 students in nearly 20 academic degree programs. 

	VSTC Facilities (click map to enlarge - numbers correspond to info below) 1) Exploration Hall: Opened in 1991 as the VSTC's first building, the 77,000 square-foot research and education facility includes one of the largest earthquake simulators on the East Coast. 2) Enterprise Hall: Purchased in 2002 and renovated/re-opened in 2003, this 204,000 square-foot facility facing Route 7 houses classrooms, the Virginia Campus Library, the Colonial Cafe, academic program offices, The JASON Project, IJIS, approximately 400 administrative staff, and GW's main data center. 3) National Transportation Safety Board: Completed in 2003, this 86,000 square-foot facility is leased by the National Transportation Safety Board for its investigation training facility and includes state-of-the-art learning spaces, an outside simulation court for accident reconstructions, and other equipment used in training accident investigators. 4) Innovation Hall: Purchased in 2008, this 71,000 square-foot building (adjacent to Exploration Hall) includes offices of academic administration, the National Crash Analysis Center (NCAC), the administrative offices of the GW's Online High School, the School of Nursing, Health Sciences academic program offices, and high tech classrooms. 5) 45155 Research Place: Executive Vice President and Treasurer office functions are transitioning from Enterprise Hall to the 70,000 square-feet of office condo space GW has in this building. This will allow for future development of academic endeavors and partnerships within Enterprise Hall.

Strategically positioned in Northern Virginia’s technology corridor, it is anticipated that the VSTC will continue to provide unique opportunities for innovative research and educational centers as well as synergistic corporate partnerships.

Current/upcoming VSTC projects: 

New building for collections and conservation resource Center and future academic initiatives: Construction began November 5, 2012 on GW’s new dual-purpose building on the Virginia Science and Technology Campus.  Located at the intersection of Presidential Drive and George Washington Boulevard, the building will feature a 22,000 square foot state-of-the-art collections and conservation resource center and an adjacent 30,000 square feet of additional space, to be designed and built out for future academic and research activities. The separate buildings will share a common entrance and some support functions. 

The collections and conservation resource center will be an environmentally controlled structure especially designed for the long term protection, study and care of the university’s own collections; those of the Textile Museum, which entered into a partnership with the university last year; and the Albert H. Small Washingtoniana Collection, an unparalleled compilation of more than 600 maps, prints and other documents related to Washington, D.C.’s, history as the capital city. The Textile Museum’s collection includes more than 19,000 objects, including carpets and rugs from Egypt, Spain and central Asia; a group of 17th-century Caucasian dragon carpets and fragments that is one of the world’s best outside of Turkey; an extensive collection of pre-Columbian Peruvian textiles, early Islamic textiles; and many other examples from China, Japan and Africa.

January 2013 construction update:  Design work on the building is finished and the project has received all required building permits. The site has been filled and graded and the entrance road construction will start in early February 2013.  Foundation work has started and the structure work will continue throughout winter and spring of 2013. The building structure will be complete in early summer 2013, with substantial completion and occupation of the facility in fall 2013. Following collections relocation, full operation of the facility will begin in early 2014.

School of Nursing’s Simulation and Skills Lab: The School of Nursing has added an additional 3,300 square feet to its Simulation and Skills Lab in Innovation Hall.  The new facility, which opened for the fall 2012 class, includes an eight bed hospital ward, two private rooms and a studio apartment dedicated to in-home care.  The state-of-the art video capabilities allow for enhanced training and monitoring of students using the latest in video and voice capture technology.

	The collections and conservation resource center Rendering of east view Rendering of west view

Solar Walk: A landscaped pedestrian sidewalk that demonstrates solar technologies is complete.  The Solar Walk links Exploration and Innovation Halls and extends the public sidewalk to the intersection of GW Boulevard and University Drive. The walk features a trellis with solar panels that supplements electricity for lighting, and a test installation of ‘walkable’ solar panels is also being pursued as an additional solar element.

Comprehensive Signage Package: In summer 2012, the university completed initial design of a campus-wide signage package to provide a consistent identity for the campus and improve way finding and visibility.  This package is currently under review by Loudoun County.