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

  • Philadelphia Middle School Facility Earns LEED Gold Certification

    The Alternative Middle Years (AMY) at James Martin Middle School in Philadelphia, Penn., recently received a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, according to a news release. The School District of Pennsylvania partnered with KSS Architects on the project.

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

    As education leaders look toward 2026, the design of K–12 and higher education facilities is being reshaped by powerful, converging forces. Survey respondents point to the rapid growth of Career and Technical Education, deeper alignment with workforce and industry needs, and the accelerating influence of AI and emerging technologies.

  • 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.

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.