Norfolk State breaks ground on $118M science building

Norfolk State University on Friday broke ground on a $118 million science building.

The new 131,376-square-foot facility, which is being built on the northwest side of the HBCU‘s main campus, will replace the Roy A. Woods Science Building. Once complete, it will house teaching and research labs, classrooms, a planetarium, a greenhouse and student-centered collaboration spaces.

The new building will house the university’s biology, chemistry and physics departments as well as the Dozoretz National Institute for Mathematics and Applied Sciences. Norfolk State University President Javaune Adams-Gaston said in a statement the building will be a place where students can “discover, innovate and be inspired.”

The building is expected to be completed in the fall of 2027. Norfolk-based Work Program Architects is the architect of record, and architectural firm SmithGroup is working with WPA as consultants. Virginia Beach-based S.B. Ballard Construction is the builder for the project.

“This project puts scientific research and education on display in an environment that is inclusive, interactive and energizing,” Work Program Architects CEO Mel Price, principal-in-charge of the project, said in a statement. “We’re honored to be part of such a visionary and student-focused effort.”

“This building will showcase science with its transformative architecture, thereby inspiring students to believe and achieve their goals,” said Michael Keeve, the university’s dean of College of Science, Engineering & Technology in a statement. “It will encourage and empower collaborations between faculty, students, and the community to build a brighter future.”

A university spokesperson says a decision has not been made about what will be done with the old science building.