Quarterly Fuseletter
Winter/Spring 2024
What’s inside?
The 345,000-square-foot facility will house faculty and students from across the university working across all aspects of digital innovation alongside industry partners to create new discoveries. Students and faculty at Fuse will include those working with the Institute for Digital Innovation (IDIA) and programs from Mason’s new School of Computing and the Volgenau School of Engineering.
Fuse at Mason Square will include: an agile design to accommodate technology, program, and research changes, specialized labs for robotics, VR, simulation, security, and data visualization, ample convening space, including a double-height atrium, a public plaza for retail and outdoor public programming, and below-grade parking
What’s Inside
Fuse at Mason Square Celebrates Topping Out
On November 3, George Mason University, development consortium Mason Innovation Partners, and contractor Clark Construction Group brought together university researchers, faculty, staff, industry leaders, and project partners to commemorate the achievement of a major construction milestone – the building’s structural topping out. The day-long celebration began with an event highlighting the research and innovation that will take place in the building and ended with a ceremony to recognize the contributions of the workforce that have been instrumental in bringing Fuse at Mason Square to life.
Fuse at Mason Square officially broke ground in April 2022. Over the last year and a half, craftworkers have installed 2,200 tons of rebar and placed more than 20,000 cubic yards of concrete to form the building’s structure.
With less than a year left until completion, Fuse at Mason Square has reached peak construction. Currently, 260 craftworkers are operating on-site each day, collectively
putting in place more than $2 million of work each week. Now that the concrete structure is complete, workers have begun to install over 450 precast concrete panels to create the building’s iconic façade.
The development and construction team has focused on providing opportunities to small-, minority-, and women-owned (SWaM) businesses throughout the project. To date, Clark has awarded 39 percent of the project’s construction subcontracts to SWaM businesses, and the project is on track to exceed all participation goals.
“We are so grateful for each of the craftworkers and partners that has contributed their talents to create the unique space that will enable Virginia’s workforce and the tech economy to thrive,” said Brian Naumick, Managing Director at Edgemoor. “Fuse directly addresses the tech industry’s demand to co-locate the talent pipeline, research, and industry, and we’re thrilled to bring the building to life with our first industry partners and many more to come.”
Fuse in the News
Construction Progress as of March 2024
New Virtual Tour Available
The Mason Innovation Partners team developed a virtual tour using animated renderings to show project stakeholders and prospective tenants what the space will look like and how it will be used when the building is complete. Click here to watch the video!
Arlington County Board Members Visit Jobsite
Board members Susan Cunningham
and Maureen Coffey
recently visited Mason Square to tour the jobsite and learn more about how Fuse will support the regional tech economy.
Community Connection
(left)
(right)
Commercial Fit-Out Construction Prepares Space for Industry Partners
As the building’s exterior reaches completion, crews have begun working on the interior fit-out. Construction is underway on Spark Suites, along with custom suites for industry tenants ranging from specialty labs, to showcase spaces, to training facilities. The first completed spaces will be ready for tenants to move in late Summer 2024.
The Plaza at Mason Square Reopens March 28th!
George Mason University is hosting an outdoor community event to celebrate the grand opening of the refreshed plaza.
The celebration will include live music, outdoor plaza games, and light refreshments. All are welcome and invited to attend.
Click here to register for the event!
Project Timeline
April 2022
Fall 2023
Winter/Spring 2024
Summer 2024
Spring 2025
Construction
Industry Tenants Begin to Move In
Mason Begins to Move In
Project Groundbreaking Commercial & Financial Close
Topping Out
Structure & Enclosure Substantially Complete; Building Systems & Core Underway
Liling Huang Named Dominion Energy Faculty Fellow in Power and Energy Engineering
A new endowment, established by Dominion Energy, named College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) Associate Professor Liling Huang the Dominion Energy Faculty Fellow in Power and Energy Engineering. In addition to providing lasting and perpetual support for the faculty fellowship, the endowment will support programming and technology to enhance the educational experience of CEC students.
The program will include a new immersive Smart Grid Lab at Fuse to help students and researchers learn how to mitigate climate change through innovative engineering solutions. The lab will include three workstations with a Real-Time Digital Simulator (RTDS) and a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, among other features.
Mason Makes Top 100 List for Patents Awarded in 2022
In Fall 2023, the National Academy of Inventors ranked Mason No. 91 in its list of the top 100 universities granted patents the previous year.
In 2022, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued 15 utility patents to Mason inventors, including a method to monitor physical cues for people in recovery, a wearable device for knee injuries, a system for detecting power grid states and determining appropriate actions, and therapeutics for dealing with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
College of Business
Renamed in Honor of Donald G. Costello
Donald G. Costello, through his estate, has given a $50 million planned gift to rename George Mason University’s College of Business. The largestever school-naming gift provides scholarships to undergraduate and graduate business students to help prepare them for successful careers as entrepreneurs.
Innovation at Mason
Photo by Ron Aira, George Mason University.
George Mason University and AWS Announce Plans for Renewable Energy Lab at Fuse
The significant demand for data centers and their impact on global energy requires new models for renewable and sustainable energy systems. As a response to this need, Mason will unveil a renewable energy lab within Fuse and launch a companion curriculum concentration in sustainable data center engineering this fall 2024 through a partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS).
With advanced equipment and software tools funded by AWS, Mason’s new Renewable Energy Lab will allow students to explore, analyze, and simulate data related to renewable energy sources as well as the complex design and operation of microgrids. The lab will replicate real-world equipment such as power grids, wind power plants, and other renewable energy sources.
Mason Launches Entrepreneur-in-Residence Program in Partnership with Arlington Economic Development
George Mason University has established a new Entrepreneur-in-Residence Program in partnership with Arlington Economic Development to bolster the start-up market and opportunities in the greater Washington, D.C., region and across the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The program aims to connect tech startups, federal innovators, venture capitalists, researchers, and thought leaders from Mason to enhance entrepreneurship in the region.
One key feature of the program will be a cutting-edge Innovation Center based out of Fuse. The facility will host 12 advanced laboratories, including robot assembly, testing beds, augmented and virtual reality, and multimedia studios, fostering innovation across various disciplines.
Dr. Liza Wilson Durant Recognized as NVTC Cyber50 Executive
Dr. Liza Wilson Durant, associate provost for strategic initiatives and community engagement, was recently named an NVTC Cyber50 Executive. Liza was recognized for her impressive track record of developing partnerships, promoting cybersecurity initiatives, and building the Northern Virginia tech economy. We are honored to have her partnership and expertise as we work together to deliver Fuse at Mason Square, continuing her work that brings Mason and industry partners together to accelerate the pace of digital innovation.
Innovation at Mason
Photo by Ron Aira, George Mason University.
Photo by Ron Aira, George Mason University.
Keep up with the latest project news! www.fuseatmasonsquare.com masonsquare.gmu.edu