The Allegheny Foundation awarded the Masonic Theater Preservation Foundation a $150,000 grant to build an Amphitheater in Clifton Forge Virginia, which the 2011/2012 design/buildLAB at Virginia Tech designed and build. The amphitheater is on the site of the former Wholesale Tire Company warehouse that is behind the Historic Masonic Theatre. Before the grant was awarded the site had been included in long-range downtown planning studies for the development of an outdoor performance and public gathering space.
During this year my studio individually analyzed the site to come up with individual master plans. We then paired down into groups of two and then into three groups of six. Eventually we worked our three proposals into one. During the year we worked with consultants, local contractors and the community to come up with a building that we felt would benefit the community.
Awards
2014 Azure Magazine's AZ A+ Award (Smith Creek Park)
2014 Architizer A+ Award, Architecture + Urban Transformation, Popular Choice (Smith Creek Park)
2013 American Architects Building of the Year
2013 Nominated for Building of the Year by Archdaily
2012 AIA Blue Ridge Design Excellence Award
2012 One Prize Honorable Mention, RE-PLACE design/buildLAB
2012 SEED Award Honorable Mention
http://www.archdaily.com/253283/masonic-amphitheatre-project-designbuildlab-at-virginia-tech/
Status: Built
Location: Clifton Forge, VA, US
My Role: Primarily worked on the front of house, which consists of the access points to the site, the terraces, layout and positioning of the seating and the positioning of the sound booth. Helped with the on site excavation, digging and laying out foundations and
Additional Credits: Project Team Students: Tyler Atkins, Lauren Duda, Huy Duong, Derek Ellison, Megumi Ezure, Katherine Harpst, Kyle Lee, Leo Naegele, Margaret Nelson, Leah Schaffer, Ian Shelton, Brent Sikora, Emarie Skelton, Samantha Stephenson, Taylor Terrill, Samantha Yeh. Along with Professors Marie Zawistowski, Architecte DPLG and Keith Zawistowski, Assoc. AIA, GC.
Photographs: Jeff Goldberg/ESTO