Radnor is master developer for a mixed-use, carbon zero and net-zero innovation district at Appalachian State University. Innovation Ridge includes faculty and graduate student housing, a Conservatory for Biodiversity Education & Research, and a district energy system, utilizing sustainable energies including wind, solar, and geothermal heating and cooling. The development is elevating the University’s academic and applied research capacities and will bring together multi-disciplinary expertise, facilitating collaborations on campus and throughout the community. It will also have a lasting and powerful impact on the entire region, broadening economic development opportunities across northwestern North Carolina.

The first phase is comprised of three components: (1) an interdisciplinary research facility totaling 55,000 SF; (2) faculty & staff housing totaling 156 units and 175,000 SF; and (3) a carbon-zero district energy system that will begin to transition campus away from steam power. Radnor and JV partner Harrison Street delivered the housing and district energy system through a public-private partnership (P3) model. Radnor will also manage the development of the state-funded research facility on behalf of the university. The housing and district energy system were delivered in Fall 2025, with the Conservatory following in late 2026.