My Favorite Project: VCU CoStar Center for Arts and Innovation
Some engineering projects stand out not only for their technical challenges, but for the collaborative spirit and the community impact they represent. For Dan Anderson, a Senior Engineer in Schnabel’s Richmond office, that project was the VCU CoStar Center for Arts and Innovation—formerly known as the VCU Arts and Innovation Academic Building.
A Vision for the Arts, Realized Through Engineering
As project manager, Dan led Schnabel’s efforts in helping Virginia Commonwealth University realize its vision: a facility that brings together music, dance, theater, and visual arts under one roof. Designed to foster interdisciplinary innovation, the building will serve as a hub of creativity and education for years to come. “It’s exciting to support a project that will bring so many different creative disciplines together in one space,” Dan said. “Knowing the building will inspire and serve future generations of students really made the work feel meaningful.”
Overcoming Urban Site Challenges with Smart Geotechnical Solutions
The project site, located in a busy section of downtown Richmond, had a long history as a fueling and service station. That legacy introduced geotechnical and environmental complexities, especially given the inclusion of a basement level in the building’s design.
“Our investigation revealed contaminated soils that needed to be carefully removed and managed,” Dan explained. “Incorporating a subsurface vapor mitigation system ensures the below-grade spaces are safe for long-term use.”
Schnabel’s solutions not only addressed environmental hazards but supported VCU’s design intent without sacrificing performance, safety, or long-term sustainability.
A True Multi-Disciplinary Effort Across the firm
What stood out most to Dan was how many of Schnabel’s specialties were brought together to solve problems on this job.
“It’s not often that a project calls for this level of internal collaboration across so many areas of technical expertise,” he said. “We had geophysical input on subsurface conditions, environmental guidance on contamination, geotechnical and geostructural expertise for design, and monitoring systems to support safe construction.”
Schnabel’s services included:
- Foundation design recommendations
- Tower crane foundation support
- Excavation support system design review
- Vapor mitigation strategies
- Instrumentation and monitoring plan support
- Coordinating these interconnected scopes during a fast-moving construction timeline posed a unique challenge—one that Dan found both demanding and energizing.
“The pace of construction meant we had to be nimble and responsive,” he noted. “But that also made it one of the most fulfilling projects I’ve worked on.”
Building a Safer Site and a Stronger Community
In addition to enabling future innovation and performance art, the project helped improve the safety and sustainability of the downtown site itself.
“At first, the inclusion of a basement in the design seemed like a major challenge given the site’s history,” Dan said. “But it turned out to be an opportunity in disguise. The deeper excavation gave us better access to the contaminated soils, allowing for more efficient removal and treatment than would have been possible with a shallower foundation.”
By remediating the legacy environmental issues and transforming the site into a thriving academic facility, the CoStar Center project added long-term value not just to the university, but to the surrounding community.
Expanding Technical Skills Through Interdisciplinary Collaboration
Professionally, the project played a significant role in Dan’s ongoing development as both an engineer and project manager.
“This job really expanded my skill set,” he said. “I gained valuable insights from our geostructural experts on excavation support, learned from our environmental team about vapor mitigation, and worked with our instrumentation group on monitoring strategies.”
The diversity of design elements—ranging from deep foundations to temporary excavation support and complex environmental remediation—allowed Dan to directly engage with project stakeholders across several disciplines.
Just as importantly, the project served as a learning ground for newer staff.
“We brought in a wide range of professionals on this project, including early-career engineers,” Dan said. “It was a great opportunity to involve them in real, complex challenges while giving them the support and context to learn. Watching them grow alongside the project was a highlight for me.”
A Rewarding Project with a Lasting Impact
Coordinating multiple technical services, managing the needs of an evolving design, and working through the logistical constraints of a downtown construction site wasn’t easy—but for Dan, it was deeply rewarding.
“This project checked all the boxes—technical challenge, collaboration, impact, and growth,” he reflected. “It stands out as a milestone that not only strengthened my capabilities but also positioned me to contribute at a higher level moving forward”
The VCU CoStar Center for Arts and Innovation stands as a testament to the value of cross-disciplinary engineering and thoughtful design—and to the lasting impact a well-executed project can have on a community.
