Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 9, 1994 TAG: 9404090021
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
On a tour of a Roanoke architectural and engineering firm this week, Gibbs discovered that construction drawings are just part of an architect's work.
The job is much broader.
An architect is a visionary, designer and coordinator who transfers ideas into buildings - an artist whose canvas is a building and landscape.
Just the kind of work that Gibbs, 15, believes he would like to do when he becomes an adult.
The ninth-grader at Lord Botetourt High School has been interested in drawing for as long as he can remember. His home environment may have been a factor - his mother works in the art department at Double Envelope Co. in Roanoke County.
Gibbs and 14 classmates in a drafting class at Lord Botetourt spent a half-day at Sherertz Franklin Crawford Shaffner, a Roanoke architectural and engineering company.
They came away with a better understanding of the work and what it involves.
They saw how computers are being used in the design of buildings, and the influence of technology on architecture.
Gibbs was impressed. He said the trip reinforced his desire to become an architect. He wants to go to Virginia Tech.
Mark Edgechumbe, a classmate in the drafting class, said his interest in architecture had been strengthened, too.
SFCS has been providing the briefings and tours for more than five years.
Several other architectural and engineering firms provide similar programs for high school students.
They say it is a way to help the students in their career choices and to recruit potential employees. It helps build a closer relationship between businesses and schools in an era when more attention is focused on public and private partnerships.
Hayes Seay Mattern & Mattern, the Roanoke Valley's largest architectural and engineering firm, also works with school groups.
Students from Virginia Western Community College, North Cross School, Virginia Tech and other schools have visited HSMM's offices.
"It is not done on any formalized basis, but we do it when we think it will be appropriate and beneficial," said John Bradshaw, an executive with the firm. HSMM has worked with Virginia Tech on a minority students program.
Bill Kohler, a teacher who accompanied the Botetourt students, said he has taken drafting students to SFCS for several years so they can see the real world of an architect.
Top SFCS executives gave the students an overview of the firm and how a project is designed and developed.
David Bandy, vice president and director of design, explained the process involved in designing and preparing plans for the new $8.5 million Forest Middle School in Bedford County.
Bandy said the first step was workshops with students, teachers, principals and others to get their views. After the design was approved, he said, architects developed the plans.
Mechanical engineers handle the details of heating, cooling and utilities. Structural engineers make certain the structure is sound and will support the weight.
"This is not a one-man thing. It takes a team approach," Bandy said.
Tye Campbell, director of engineering for SFCS, said the engineers work closely with the architects and designers.
"We're producing a design and providing a service. We are not a blueprint factory," Campbell said. "It's not a product that is chopped up into phases. It is a continuous process."
SFCS specializes in the design of schools and health-care and retirement facilities with clients nationwide.
The Botetourt students also learned how SFCS converted three buildings on Jefferson Street in downtown Roanoke into its offices.
They also were told that architects can have a big and lasting impact on a community.
"A building is something that you give to the community," Bandy said. "It is there after you are gone."
by CNB