The College of William & Mary’s (W&M) new Fine and Performing Arts Complex has officially opened on the University’s campus. VHB helped W&M open this renown performing arts venue in a bright, modern new home for students across all disciplines. W&M faculty, alumni, and community members gathered to celebrate this milestone with an open house and dedication on Thursday, October 19. The theatre, dance, and music complex includes a new 67,000-square-foot music building and 93,000-square-foot renovated Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall. Since 2017, VHB has worked with Moseley Architects, HGA, and W&M to provide design and construction administration services.
The refurbished Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall features four total theatres: the 492-seat renovated Proscenium Theatre, the 100-seat renovated Lab Theatre, the 250-seat Studio Theatre, and the 60-seat Dance Recital Theatre. In the new music building, there is a 450-seat concert hall and a 125-seat recital hall with a recording studio, several music labs, and practice rooms of various sizes. The facility includes inviting spaces for teaching, learning, research, and performance, and will serve both the campus and regional communities.
VHB’s civil design included onsite stormwater management and downstream analysis to support an environmental impact report (EIR). To best understand the specifics of the campus area surrounding the complex, VHB also completed a traffic and pedestrian circulation study that helped determine the trip generation and trip distribution for the development, evaluated the potential traffic impacts to roadways and intersections, and evaluated the proposed access and circulation plans.
“This is the largest Capital Improvement Project (CIP) that the College has ever undertaken, so communication and collaboration among the team during the design and construction process was critical,” said J.D. Hines, PE, ENV SP, Project Manager. “VHB was instrumental in navigating regulatory authority between the internal William & Mary Code Review Team to the Virginia Department of General Services Division of Engineering & Buildings, which transitioned just prior to the pandemic.”
At the request of the College, VHB also managed coordination with the team to confirm that the facilities and areas of campus surrounding the complex were maintained and remained functional during the project timeline.
To learn more about this project, connect with J.D. via email or LinkedIn.