Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

An Upgrade at Virginia Tech

  • 04/01/16

auditorium McBryde upgradeMcBryde 100 auditorium, a 550-seat raked floor auditorium, is the largest classroom assembly space on the main campus of Virginia Polytechnic and State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg. Heavily used by multiple departments for large format “101” classes, the instruction space, like many similar auditoriums built in the 1970s, was in need of updates and improvements. Designed and executed by the Washington, DC, studio of Westlake Reed Leskosky, the interior renovation addressed accessibility compliance, life safety issues, aging infrastructure, aging technology and worn interior finishes and furnishings.

With one strategic sectional change, Westlake Reed Leskosky solved a variety of accessibility compliance issues, accommodates instructor circulation within the room, and provides for future evolutions in teaching pedagogy. The key renovation design concept of a modified floor slab improves accessibility throughout the space and facilitates more integrated teaching methods for instructors and students. Specifically, the strategy involved changing the rake of the floor to 1:12, adding continuous rails at side aisles, introducing an intermediate aisle, and interspersing ADAcompliant seating spaces throughout the room, while sacrificing only a minimal number of seats from the previous condition.

auditorium McBryde upgradeModern teaching systems via the podium, AV systems projecting on a fixed surface, new seating systems, interior finishes, lighting and acoustical treatments make the auditorium one of the most elegant large-scale teaching environments on campus. The interiors feature new maple wall and ceiling paneling, highly sustainable fabric-wrapped panels, and other finishes inspired by the existing Hokie Stone walls that are prominent throughout campus.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Texas State University Completes Stadium Renovations

    Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, recently announced that it has completed a series of additions and renovations to its football stadium, according to a news release. Formerly known as the Bobcat Stadium End Zone Complex, the Johnny and Nathali Weisman Football Performance Center is an 85,000-square-foot expansion featuring hospitality spaces, banquet spaces, exterior concourses, and upgrades to the field house.

  • University of Arizona Approves New Residence Hall

    The Arizona Board of Regents recently approved plans for a new residence hall at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., according to a news release. The new facility is scheduled to open in fall 2028 and have the capacity for more than 1,200 students, enforcing a new university expectation that all first-year students live on campus.

  • University of Rhode Island, Gilbane Partner for Three New Residence Halls

    The University of Rhode Island in Kingston, R.I., recently announced a public-private partnership with construction development firm Gilbane, according to a news release. Gilbane will soon start construction on three new residence halls with a total of 1,100 beds: two with apartment-style suites in northwest campus, and a reconstruction of the Graduate Village Apartments for graduate students.

  • Countway Library at Harvard Medical School

    From Shadows to Sanctuary: The Transformation of Light at Countway Library

    The renovation of Countway Library at Harvard Medical School demonstrates how biophilic design and advanced lighting strategies transformed a formerly dark, insular space into a vibrant, welcoming hub that supports wellness, learning, and community engagement.