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Ridge View High School Addition and Renovation

Richland School District Two

Completion Date
Fall 2011

Project Budget
$10 Million

Significant renovations and additions to Ridge View High School address strategic facility upgrades and expanded program needs. The larger of the two additions includes 24,000 square feet of new teaching and student activity space, including state of the art teaching labs to support the highly successful Institute for Health Sciences magnet programs. A second addition to the front of the school expands the Cafeteria dining hall. The renovations include significant improvements to the entry rotunda, creating a new lobby and help desk and improving safety and security at the school. Renovations also include upgrading and repurposing of teaching and administration spaces, as well as a complete roof replacement for the entire building. The exterior additions thoughtfully address the existing context in material, scale, and character while balancing a more contemporary design approach with respect to fenestration, daylighting, and detailing.

Showcase Project

SCVRD Lyman Center

As the first new Center to be built for the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department in over twenty years, the Lyman Center reflects the current mission and philosophy of the Department, providing counseling, rehabilitation, and work production services. The new 35,000sf structure, to be constructed in two phases, is subdivided into three major program components: an area office, a 10,000sf production/training floor, and a special services unit for occupational and physical therapy. Designed for an organization that values its relationships within the business community, the facility appeals to corporate and technological aesthetics while also blending with its organic, wooded site on the Middle Tyger River.

Northeast Engineering / Science Classroom Facility Construction

This 68,000 sq. ft. classroom building addition at the Northeast Technology Campus will become the new home of the Engineering and Science departments of the College. The program features teaching labs and classrooms focusing on clean energy technology, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing, supporting the mission of the College’s regional research partners. The design features strategies to provide student centered “casual” spaces that encourage social interaction and collaboration. The facility will showcase flexible spaces and planning strategies to respond to changes in mission and technology.

School Designs Change with the Times

If back-to-school brings visions of the proverbial little red schoolhouse, better think again. Today’s schools are more a combination of brain research, educational advancements, sustainability and technology, bringing new challenges for school architects and designers. This amphitheater was built into the design of the Center for Knowledge as another area of learning. (Photo/Courtesty Quackenbush Architects & Planners) “It’s really like the chicken and the egg,” said architect Doug Quackenbush, as educators and architects collaborate on designing new schools using resources and ideas from both fields. “We give school districts good advice on a fully performing 21st century school while they inform us of new teaching techniques and educational trends.”