Centers and Facilities
This is where research takes shape—literally
Like a 3D printer layering concrete into form, our centers and facilities turn bold ideas into reality. Concepts become prototypes, collaborations grow into projects, and innovation becomes something you can see and touch. They unite faculty, students, and partners to craft solutions for a better future.
The Center for Design Research links the academic community, industry, and design practice. They create opportunities for collaboration through applied research, build corporate partnerships and sponsorships in design research, expand research by building relationships within the design professions and affiliated industries, initiate collaborative research projects within and beyond the boundaries of the university, and strengthen all areas of research through cross-disciplinary team building and the integration of teaching and research. To learn more, contact Nathan King, the center director, at nathanking@vt.edu.
The goal of the center is to preserve important cultural artifacts associated with people and their lifestyles — including buildings, landscapes, structures, clothing, and textiles — as a record of their time and cultural impact. The center is a key hub for research, teaching, and outreach activities involving historic preservation and cultural resource management in Southwest Virginia. For more information, contact Lisa Tucker, the center director, at ltucker@vt.edu.
The Center for High Performance Environments serves as a resource for designers, engineers, system consultants, teachers, school administrators, facility managers, and building owners interested in improving the design and operation of built environments. The center takes a holistic approach to the design of buildings and focuses on a range of multidisciplinary activities, including energy efficiency, sustainability, systems integration, building envelope evaluation, and the integration of appropriate technology into indoor environments. For more information, contact Jim Jones at wolverine@vt.edu.
The Center for Real Life Design offers students and professionals a laboratory for exploring residential design and technologies that address the demands of families and consumers. The center affords students majoring in residential environments and design, consumers, researchers, and professionals in residential design, construction, and remodeling with the opportunity to learn about technologies, products, and their application to universally designed spaces. For more information, contact Gregory Galford, the center director, at ggalford@vt.edu.
The two main goals of the Community Design Assistance Center are to provide underserved communities in Virginia and surrounding states with low-cost planning and design assistance, and to provide students with an opportunity for paid experience and professional development in participatory design and planning processes. To learn more, contact Elizabeth Gilboy, the center director, at egilboy@vt.edu.
The mission of the International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA) Center is to document the history of women’s involvement in architecture, interior and industrial design, landscape architecture, urban design and planning, architectural history and criticism, and women’s professional organizations. Each year, the center hosts the IAWA Symposium and awards the Milka Bliznakov Student Research Prize. For more information, contact Paola Zellner Bassett, the center director, at pazb@vt.edu
The center was established to gather and actualize interests in the teaching, study, and research of contemporary and historic art and architecture and theory. From its inception, the center has been committed to providing students who wish to study the history of art and architecture, architectural criticism, or design theory with frameworks for understanding, methods by which study may be pursued, and opportunities for examining these questions in a discussion forum.
Facilities that support research and hands-on learning
Our facilities extend the college’s tradition of thinking through making by providing spaces where teaching, research, and creative work intersect. Equipped for flexibility, collaboration, and large-scale experimentation, they support faculty across disciplines in advancing impactful scholarship and innovation.
AAD has two main research buildings:
The Research and Demonstration Facility serves as a hub for testing, prototyping, material studies, and large-scale construction. Designed to accommodate evolving needs across AAD’s four schools, it provides the space and tools for faculty and students to transform ideas into prototypes and projects that elevate the college’s research profile.
The Environmental Systems Laboratory accommodates faculty focused on the study and testing of building systems, performance, and sustainability. With resources for environmental analysis and experimentation, it enables faculty and students to explore solutions that improve the built environment and contribute to healthier, more sustainable communities.
Looking for more college facilities?
In addition to our dedicated research facilities, AAD faculty and students use a wide range of spaces across campus. From studios and classrooms to performance venues and makerspaces, these buildings provide the environments where our community learns, creates, and connects.