RICHMOND, VA (May 22, 2014) – Baskervill is excited to unveil its design for the Center for Scouting, the future home for the Boy Scouts of America's Heart of Virginia Council. The unique 23,000-square-foot center will act as a key part of the council's strategic plan to deliver programming for around 13,000 central Virginia youth.

"The idea is that this scouting center will be the heartbeat for the entire council's activities and operations," said Mark Larson, AIA, principal architect on the project and a 30-year volunteer scout leader. "This concept looks forward to the next 100 years of scouting and should help us grow the great program we already have."

New training spaces and a meeting hall will provide greater flexibility and the latest technology for the numerous events led by the council's 6,000 volunteer adult leaders. An amphitheater built into the natural slope of the site will host outdoor events and ceremonies. The center also provides new offices for the council's full-time professional staff, and a retail area near the atrium will provide a wide selection of scout equipment, clothing, and insignia.

Bringing a taste of the outdoors inside, the design for the Center for Scouting features a large, light-filled atrium with a treehouse, rock-climbing wall, Pinewood Derby track, and interactive displays for all ages. Built on two acres purchased in the Stony Point Office Park in Richmond, Virginia, the building's form is shaped by its site. The building is nestled into and wraps around a steep hill. The exterior will evoke a bit of the character found in Appalachian Trail shelters through its use of wood and stone.

"We wanted people to get excited about scouting through this space while also giving the council a great space to conduct their day-to-day operations," said Larson.

A group of former Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts were involved in the programming and design for the center. The team is currently wrapping up the project's design phase in anticipation of a capital campaign by the council.

About Baskervill's Community Studio
As a 117-year-old firm, Baskervill's roots are firmly planted within its community. The firm wholeheartedly believes in the power of design and its ability to transform shared spaces. Working with and alongside the community's stakeholders, Baskervill designers work to create a variety of powerful community assets, from world-class museums and contemplative memorials to sophisticated theaters and lively public parks and plazas. The firm's community design studio is committed to creating, revitalizing, and preserving community architectural treasures that can be enjoyed for generations to come. Other Baskervill Community projects include the net-zero Somanath Senior Apartments, 17th Street Market, Black History Museum and Cultural Center, Richmond Slave Trail, Civil Rights Memorial Plaza, Reconciliation Plaza, and Hippodrome Theater. 

About Baskervill
Baskervill, a national, award-winning, full-service architectural, engineering, interior design firm, delivers world-class services to a diverse client base, ranging from hospitality, government, education, corporate, healthcare, advanced technologies, retail, financial, community, multifamily housing, and transportation technologies, including Fortune 500 companies from its offices in Richmond and Vienna, Virginia. Founded in 1897, Baskervill offers a rich history of ingenuity, integrity and technical expertise that has made them a premiere service provider across the country. To learn more about Baskervill or to see a project portfolio, visit www.baskervill.com.

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Media Contact:
Tracey Gould
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Baskervill
804.343.1010 x3155
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