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

  • Utah Valley University Opens New Engineering Building

    Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, recently held a grand-opening ceremony for the new Scott M. Smith Engineering Building, according to a news release. The facility is one of the largest engineering buildings in the state at almost 200,000 square feet, and it plays home to the university’s Smith College of Engineering and Technology (SCET).

  • UNL Kiewit Hall

    Designing for Engineering Excellence: Integrating Sustainability and Wellness at UNLs Kiewit Hall

    Kiewit Hall at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln exemplifies how academic institutions can integrate sustainability and wellness into modern learning environments. With an integrated and collaborative team approach, Kiewit Hall addresses enhanced learning and creativity, physical health, and mental wellness, and fosters a sense of community through innovative design, operations, and policy solutions.

  • Spaces4Learning Trends & Predictions for Educational Facilities in 2026: Part I

    We asked, you answered, and the results are in! Last year, we put out a call for submissions to collect our readership’s opinion on trends and predictions for K–12 and higher education facilities in 2026.

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.