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 Recruitment

    Texas Recruitment

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The University of Texas at Austin's Texas Recruitment has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of Renovation.

  • FGCU Breaks Ground on New Health Sciences Building

    Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) has launched construction on a major new academic facility that leaders say will reshape healthcare education in Southwest Florida for decades to come, according to university news.

  • 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.

  • Designing Third Spaces That Do What AI Can't

    In 2026, education is evolving faster than ever. With AI reshaping everything from lesson planning to personalized instruction, schools and universities are turning their attention to what AI can’t replicate: spaces that foster collaboration, community, and creativity.