For decades now, many aspiring Hokie engineers have called Randolph Hall their campus home — at least for a semester or two — while pursuing their studies at Virginia Tech. That might leave Mitchell Hall, Randolph’s planned replacement, quite the legacy to live up to, but it’s a challenge that the university and the College of Engineering are excited to pursue.
Plans for the new Mitchell Hall call for an impressive hub of engineering classrooms, labs, and meeting and study space in what will encompass 284,000 square feet of dynamic student and faculty activity.
Now that grand vision is one step closer to becoming a reality as the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors approved Mitchell Hall’s design preview at its November meeting. The move marks an important milestone in the project’s planning and design phase and signifies that Mitchell Hall’s conceptual design is progressing as scheduled, thanks in large part to substantial donor support.
Last year, Norris Mitchell ’58 and his wife, Wendy, committed a record-breaking $35 million toward the project’s construction as well as activities and programming that will be housed within the completed building. That generosity helped pave the way for a full authorization of funding for Mitchell Hall from the Virginia General Assembly this past summer.
That funding represents a significant investment by the commonwealth, not only in Virginia Tech, but also in the many engineering students, faculty, and research projects that stand to benefit from what will be the largest academic building on the university’s Blacksburg campus.
“Wendy and I are incredibly pleased with the advancements Virginia Tech has made in the planning of Mitchell Hall,” said Norris Mitchell. “We are gratified to know that the building will be available for additional qualified engineering students and that all students will benefit from the building’s up-to-date facilities for the foreseeable future.”
Mitchell Hall will house the Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering and the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity, and it will provide instructional and research labs for several additional engineering departments. It will offer general assignment classrooms, intentional space for student advising and recruitment activities, design team and project workspace, and informal meeting and study areas for all Virginia Tech students.
Long calling Randolph Hall home, the Stability Wind Tunnel and experiential learning labs for first-year engineering students will find their place in Mitchell Hall as well with much improved accommodations.
“Not only will every Virginia Tech engineering student benefit from Mitchell Hall’s flexible spaces and improved facilities, but its exterior features will transform the university’s North Academic District in ways that are both functional and attractive for all faculty, staff, students, and campus visitors,” said Julia M. Ross, the Paul and Dorothea Torgersen Dean of Engineering. “It will play an important role in both student and faculty recruitment and retention, and it will also provide much-needed space for experiential learning, all of which are important priorities outlined in the college’s strategic plan.”
Liza Morris, assistant vice president for planning and university architect, also has noted Mitchell Hall’s potential to reshape the north side of campus in accordance with the university’s master plan, a point she emphasized to the Board of Visitors during the project’s design review at the November meeting.
In particular, Morris highlighted the improved appearance, intuitive wayfinding, and accessible routes afforded by the new Green Link that will be created between Mitchell Hall and Hancock Hall. This corridor, which will require modifying the existing footprint of Hancock, represents a significant site improvement that aligns with Virginia Tech’s universal design approach to prioritize intuitive accessibility and pedestrian flow.