Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 2, 1995                   TAG: 9503020035
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ARCHITECTS LAUDED FOR SCHOOL DESIGN

It was a tough design task for Sherertz Franklin Crawford Shaffner, a Roanoke architectural and engineering company.

But the Virginia Department of Education says SFCS did it; the state has given the company its top design award for renovated elementary school buildings for 1994-95.

David Bandy, vice president and director of design for SFCS, said the Virginia Heights school, on a hill overlooking Memorial Avenue and Grandin Road in Southwest Roanoke, was a particularly challenging project because it required a design that reflected the surrounding residential neighborhood.

"A new architectural identity was incorporated through minor additions, which included a multipurpose space, new entrances and a courtyard plaza," Bandy said.

The architects did not want to kill the identity of the old building, but they wanted to create a contemporary image, he said.

To renovate the building to meet future needs, the three-story structure was gutted and the interior rearranged.

The state award committee cited SFCS' ability to "take an existing, institutional-style building and renovate it to meet technology demands of the next century."

To improve the efficiency of the school's operations, new mechanical, electrical and fire sprinkler systems were installed along with an elevator and new kitchen equipment, replacement windows, door frames, hardware, insulation, masonry restoration, reroofing and site improvements.

Virginia Heights was the fifth of seven city elementary school to be renovated by SFCS in a project that began in 1987. The others that have been completed are Crystal Spring, Highland Park, Oakland, Forest Park and Morningside.

Wasena, the last school to be renovated, should reopen this fall.

SFCS President Patrick Shaffner said the objective of the renovation projects was to work with city school officials to complete one project at a time. Architects have been able to preserve the character of the original buildings, he said, while creating a more functional setting for modern teaching methods and educational demands of the future.

The renovation of the seven oldest elementary schools has cost $17.4 million and has been financed with bonds and state Literary Fund loans.

The city is about to embark on a $22.5 million plan for renovating the four middle schools - Jackson, Breckinridge, Addison and Woodrow Wilson. Renovation of Jackson is to begin this summer, at a cost of $5.25 million.