Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Kingsport HS Gets Science and Tech Center Facelift

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 08/22/19

Tennessee's Dobyns-Bennett High School has opened a new three-story science and technology center that fronts the high school and adds more than 70,000 square feet.

Tennessee's Dobyns-Bennett High School has opened a new three-story science and technology center that fronts the high school and adds more than 70,000 square feet.

Perkins&Will served as the architect and BurWill Construction did construction. Furniture was purchased from WorkSpace Interiors through a Sourcewell cooperative purchasing agreement. The design process for the new center began in earnest in 2016 with several "visioning" sessions involving high school teachers and staff members.

The goals for the project included:

  • Addition of an "enhanced" science and technology program at the high school, with new facilities and programming, that could accommodate more students;
  • Redefinition of the school's main entrance;
  • Improvement in circulation and accessibility for students and staff; and
  • Use of the addition to rebrand the high school.

Now, when students enter the school, they arrive in a giant atrium where a massive video wall greets them, suspended above a counter that can accommodate a dozen students working side-by-side.

The new facility raised the high school’s capacity to support 2,500 students at 85 percent utilization.

"We weren't just aiming to add classrooms — we were aiming to add learning spaces," Principal Chris Hampton told a local reporter. The design incorporated:

  • 18 science/tech labs;
  • Two teacher work spaces;
  • Six student work spaces;
  • A technology-enhanced active learning lab;
  • A large research lab;
  • Four small research labs;
  • A student café; and
  • Administrative offices.

The new facility raised the high school’s capacity to support 2,500 students at 85 percent utilization.

The new center includes what is being referred to as a "double layer of security." Guests will be buzzed into a foyer area and then need to be granted additional access to gain entry to the learning areas, where students are.

The County Commission approved a $140 million bond issue in 2017, which covered the more than $20 million project for the high school, among other school capital projects in the region.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Wold Architects & Engineers Acquires VPS Architecture

    Full-service planning, architecture, and engineering firm Wold Architects & Engineers recently announced that it has acquired VPS Architecture, according to a news release. The move will help strengthen Wold’s education and public-sector design expertise, industries in which both companies have strong pre-existing ties and relationships.

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.

  • St. John Fisher University

    Classroom Revitalization – Basil Hall Room 216

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. St. John Fisher University's Basil Hall Room 216 Classroom Revitalization has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of Spaces.

  • Miami University Approves New $242M Multipurpose Arena

    Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, recently announced that its Board of Trustees has approved construction of a new multipurpose arena at Cook Field, according to university news. The $242-million project will serve as a new centralized hub for student life and create space for economic development on campus.