Virginia Commonwealth University, West Grace Street Housing

Richmond, Virginia

Firm

Niles Bolton Associates

Client

Virginia Commonwealth University

Area

151,000 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$23,510,288

Completion Date

07/2013

To accommodate a growing student population, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) enlisted Niles Bolton Associates to expand its on-campus housing options with a living-learning facility that houses international and domestic students through the school’s Globe program. VCU Globe prepares students to live and work in a 21st-century global environment by optimizing opportunities for international communication and learning.
The LEED Silver community includes 388 beds with a mix of unit types and 6,000 square feet of classrooms study rooms, gallery space and offices for VCU Globe on the ground floor.
The University sought an aesthetic that expresses VCU’s entrepreneurial culture and urban location and seamlessly blends contemporary and traditional elements with a nod to the future. The design combines apartment and efficiency units with an international education center that can be easily reconfigured. The flex space can be partitioned into two seminar rooms or one large lecture room. The gallery space showcases international artifacts, viewable by the public through storefront glazing along West Grace Street.