Design and Construction Standards

Campus buildings and outdoor spaces play a major role in defining our institutional image and in creating an ambiance that makes Virginia Tech unique. The quality of landscape and building design has a profound impact on the visual appearance of the campus and how the university and the surrounding community are perceived and integrated. 

The Division of Facilities seeks to maintain the architectural traditions at Virginia Tech while maximizing the potential of each campus project for efficiency, accessibility, and longevity. To that end, the division has developed design standards that set the quality expectations for all new and renovation construction projects for Virginia Tech.

These design standards are provided in the Virginia Tech Design and Construction Standards Manual (DCSM) and work in tandem with the Virginia Tech Master Plans and Policies and the Virginia Tech Construction and Professional Services Manual (VT CPSM).

Manual

2023 Virginia Tech Design and Construction Standards Manual

DCSM Summary of Changes 2022 to 2023 - Updated

Appendices

• Appendix A  -  Campus Design Principles
• Appendix B  -  The Virginia Tech Student Experience: VT's Next 20 Years
• Appendix C  -  University Space Management
• Appendix D  -  Outdoor Furniture Guidelines 2024
• Appendix E  -  Interior Signage Standards Manual 2023
• Appendix F  -  Campus Wayfinding Guidelines
• Appendix G  -  Hokie Stone Masonry Guide Specifications
• Appendix H  -  Maintenance of Traffic Plans
• Appendix I - Approved Plant and Tree Lists
  • Appendix I1 - Approved Woody & Herbaceous Plant List
  • Appendix I2 - Core Campus Approved Tree List
• Appendix J - BAS Standards: Sequence of Operations

Associated Documents

Design Waiver Approval Routing Flowchart (updated September 2024)

Detail Library

Forms Library

University Plans and Policies

Virginia Tech Construction and Professional Services Manual

Archive

The Archive houses prior releases of the Design and Construction Standards Manual and the accompanying documents for each release.

Training

The Training page houses video recordings and slides of the training presentations for the versions of the DCSM.