ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, March 5, 1996 TAG: 9603050024
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
Sheretz Franklin Crawford Shaffner Inc., a Roanoke architecture firm, has won the Virginia Department of Education's annual award for new school building design.
SFCS, which specializes in educational, government, business, health care and retirement facilities, was cited for its work on Forest Middle School in Bedford County, which features a "smaller-school-within-a-school" concept. A year ago, SFCS won the Education Department's design award in the renovated school category for its work on Virginia Heights Elementary School in Roanoke.
Forest Middle School, with an enrollment of 800 students, is off U.S. 221 in the Forest section of eastern Bedford County.
The school was designed around the concept of team-teaching, said Stephen Tenace, project planner and designer for SFCS.
"A separate grade level [is] positioned in each wing and floor of the building, in effect establishing a smaller 'school-within-a-school' feeling for the students," Tenace said.
The combination of brick and concrete block reduces the overall appearance of the size of the 100,000-square-foot-building. It distinguishes one area from another and coordinates the school's educational program, he said.
SFCS was cited for its ability to incorporate technology into the school to enable students and staff to integrate computers in daily learning.
The school has a technology lab and adjoining communication room where students can transmit broadcasts to the classrooms. The technology lab has triangular desks called pods, each wired for three computer stations devoted to a specialized study of a particular subject, such as digital imaging, meteorology, rocket and space technology, applied physics and desktop publishing.
In addition, the school has a separate computer lab for student instruction in computers and software programs.
Patrick Shaffner, SFCS project principal, said the firm's goal was to "provide an environment to let students receive the education and skills necessary to meet the changing nature of technology and compete in the 21st century."
A jury of two out-of-state school administrators and a faculty members from Virginia Tech's College of Architecture and Urban Studies chose the school design winners at a recent conference at Tech.
Forest Middle School's design earlier received a first-place award for new middle school design in the 1995 exhibition of school architecture from the Virginia School Boards Association and a 1995 merit award for excellence in architecture from the Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects.
LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. The technology lab has triangular desks called pods,by CNBeach wired for three
computer stations devoted to a specialized study of a particular
subject. 2. Forest Middle School, with an enrollment of 800
students, is off U.S. 221 in the Forest section of eastern Bedford
County. color.