More than 90 percent of the new library will be dedicated to space for students and faculty. There will be a significant increase in the quantity and variety of study seats to accommodate collaborative and individual work in active and quiet settings: signature reading rooms, reconfigurable labs and group work areas, presentation practice rooms, more tables and soft seating, and carrels for focused, individual work. Additionally, there will be enhanced, dedicated research space to accommodate faculty and graduate students.

• Innovative media space that provides access to current and experimental audio and video content, visual and graphic design and production tools, and other advanced media resources to support academic projects, including high-end computers for video manipulation, small-scale video and audio production, green screen studio, 3D printers, and the like.
• Expanded place to appropriately house and make available Cabell’s special collections.
• The interior will blend spaces that provide distinctive and memorable destinations within the library with flexible, efficient spaces that will meet library needs for many years to come.
• The exterior facades of the new building will reveal interior activity, creating a welcoming beacon that draws the VCU community into the library.
• A large, flexible, media-rich event space for gatherings of the VCU academic community and Friends of the Library events.
• A significantly expanded Starbucks café that remains integrated with the library, providing a place within the library for study breaks and interaction among the VCU community.
• The building design is targeting LEED Silver certification at a minimum.