Bringing the house down

Blacksburg High School

Enough snow to destroy a building. The original 1952-built Blacksburg High School was condemned when the gymnasium roof suddenly collapsed under the weight of snow. School officials were scrambling. How do you find enough space for over a thousand students? With people all over the county inconvenienced by the shuffle, speed became the mantra.

How quickly can a new high school be designed and built from the ground up without sacrificing quality?

Montgomery County Public Schools put a 24-month clock on the project, and in that time, we worked with them to deliver a brand new Blacksburg High School. The new facility has a large auditorium, competition gymnasium, community rooms, and track fields. Public areas are separated from the academic wing to allow for after-hours use.

Built to three stories, it takes up a relatively compact space for such a large school. And it was designed tough. Can’t have the roof falling in again—at least not for another sixty years.