The Build LAB is a new venture launched by Department of Building Construction and the Myers-Lawson School of Construction at Virginia Tech. Established in 2013 the goal of the lab is to serve the Virginia Tech community by providing access to physical assets such as tools, materials, and equipment; as well as the not-so-physical aspects of an experimental environment whose purpose is to foster and support innovation of all kinds.
Emphasis in the LAB is placed on activity rather than purpose; based on the notion that the most interesting and impactful discoveries come from trial and error, attempts of new things, curiosity, and serendipity. To support this approach the LAB features a more or less complete mix of equipment and tools with a material focus on wood and composites. In addition the LAB features a substantial component of computer controlled machines in the vein of the 'Fab-Lab' concept. Our goal is the ability to make anything out of anything from small to large, and from the personal to the universal.
Use and users ultimately dictate the development and adaptation of the LAB to suit the needs of the Virginia Tech community. To that end we'd like to invite users, visitors (who will hopefully become users), and other interested parties to visit and contribute.
The LAB supports its users in the form of both physical and digital workspaces and the equipment to provide a literal link between the two. Users support the lab in that same space in terms of ideas, designs, and projects they share both on the LAB floor and online.
