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Virginia Tech officially opened its Innovation Campus in Alexandria’s Potomac Yard with a Feb. 28 ribbon-cutting attended by more than 1,000 people.

“I have been waiting nearly five years to say these words — we are open,” said Lance Collins, the campus’s vice president and executive director. “We are so honored to have all of you here to celebrate this historic achievement.”

The 11-story, 300,000-square-foot facility at 3625 Potomac Ave. is the first academic building on the campus, which was conceived during Northern Virginia’s effort to attract Amazon’s second headquarters. Construction finished in January, when 500 students began taking classes there.

Known as Academic Building One, the facility includes 14 classrooms, a public visitor center and the Boeing Auditorium. Its research spaces include a two-story drone-testing cage, a cyber-physical laboratory for wireless technology, and a center focused on artificial intelligence and data analytics.

The building also houses a K-12 education center, an immersive visualization lab capable of projecting art and data across walls and floors, and a makerspace equipped with 3D-printing tools. A roof deck, stretching station, relaxation rooms and other wellness areas are available as well.

Outdoor features include a classroom, several plazas and landscaped green space across the 3.5-acre property.

The ceremony was briefly disrupted after Gov. Glenn Youngkin arrived. Protesters approached the stage singing “Ain’t Gonna Study War No More” and distributed flyers criticizing Virginia Tech’s relationships with Amazon, BAE Systems and Boeing. The interruption lasted slightly more than five minutes before the program resumed.

Amazon chose National Landing for its East Coast corporate headquarters, known as HQ2, in 2018. Its first phase opened in May 2023. National Landing includes Potomac Yard in Alexandria and portions of Crystal City and Pentagon City in Arlington.

SmithGroup designed the roughly $1 billion Virginia Tech Innovation Campus project.