Richmond, VA

VCU Athletics Village Master Planning

Scope of Services

MEP/FP Engineering, Feasibility Study

In conjunction with the ONE VCU Master planning process, VCU Athletics conducted a planning study and found that an off-campus site would resolve various existing issues, including the need for expanded, unified space and improved facilities. The off-campus athletic village would provide more space for athletic activities and cutting-edge amenities for student-athletes, staff, spectators, and the community while reaffirming the commitment to student-athlete development. Covering 43 acres, the Athletic Village will feature new sports fields and facilities, such as a tennis center, soccer stadium, outdoor track stadium, practice fields, and a multi-purpose facility. The proposed design will integrate the local industrial-style aesthetic and acknowledge the historical importance of the surrounding area.

Services

2RW conducted a planning study that informed central utility plant options and site utility infrastructure for VCU’s Athletic Village, focusing on minimizing fossil fuel usage to align with VCU’s sustainability objectives. As a result, electric heat pump technologies were recommended to serve the buildings, potentially enabling the Athletic Village to achieve carbon neutrality and reduce the environmental and economic impacts of fossil fuel energy.

2RW recommended two options: a centralized campus geo-exchange distribution or an individual air-source cooling/heating system for each facility. Project constraints were considered, and the proposed systems were designed to accommodate the use of gas-fired equipment today, with the flexibility to decrease or eliminate fossil fuels in the future while maintaining the necessary system distribution configurations. Additionally, as part of the master planning process, 2RW provided MEP/FP engineering for a conceptual design for each athletic building based on the two central utility options.

Rendering courtesy HKS