Old Dominion University announced on July 7, 2027, that it has received full funding through Virginia’s newly approved biennial budget to construct a $250 million Engineering and Arts Building, marking the largest capital investment in the university’s history.

The 141,458-square-foot, three-story building will break ground in fall 2027 and open in late 2030, timed to serve as ODU’s centennial building marking 100 years since the Norfolk university’s founding.

Building Design Splits Research and Performance Space

The facility splits into distinct zones. A “Converging Space” section will house R1-level engineering research labs, high-bay facilities, a motion-capture lab, and flexible wet and dry labs alongside student fabrication and exhibition areas. A “Convening Space” zone centers on an 800-seat performance hall built for large ensemble productions, while separate public and operational zones will support community programming and building logistics.

The building will bring together two colleges that currently operate separately — the Batten College of Engineering and Technology and the College of Arts and Letters. VMDO Architects Principal Joe Atkins said the design “will act as a campus gateway and active beacon,” built to promote innovation between the two disciplines.

Design and Construction Teams Named

VMDO Architects is leading design in partnership with Ballinger and Diamond Schmitt, while W.M. Jordan Company will provide construction management. Site plans call for landscaped gathering space on the building’s west side, a drop-off loop to the east, and loading docks on the north and south sides to handle equipment and production needs.

Part of a Broader Campus Build-Out

The funding announcement follows a run of active construction projects at ODU over the past year. Crews are advancing a $184 million Biological Sciences Building toward an early 2028 completion, having finished structural concrete work and begun utility rough-ins. A $25 million expansion of the Barry Art Museum is adding a new wing that will double the museum’s gallery space. At Bud Metheny Ballpark, a $24 million renovation replacing the venue’s bleacher systems with 2,032 chairback seats and new training facilities is nearing completion.

ODU’s centennial-timed expansion mirrors a similar push underway in Texas, where Texas Southern University has launched a $1.7 billion Campus Master Plan ahead of its own upcoming Centennial.

Factsheet: Old Dominion University to build a world-class Engineering and Arts Building

• Project cost: approximately $250 million
• Size: 141,458 gross square feet, three stories
• Groundbreaking: fall 2027
• Completion: late 2030
• Designers: VMDO Architects, Ballinger, Diamond Schmitt
• Construction manager: W.M. Jordan Company
• Significance: largest capital investment in ODU history
• Related campus projects: $184 million Biological Sciences Building (completion early 2028), $25 million Barry Art Museum expansion, $24 million Bud Metheny Ballpark renovation