Local college students are helping a local town build its new amphitheater.
Virginia Tech's design/build LAB group already built a new farmer's market for Covington back in May and June of 2011. Now, the group is turning its efforts to Clifton Forge, for its new amphitheater.
The Ideas and designs of architecture students will soon travel almost 70 miles to a concrete slab, on a forgotten and unused space behind the Historic Masonic Theatre.
Thanks to a $150,000 grant from the Alleghany Foundation, it will be transformed from a slab to a stage.
Each of the 16 students came up with their own models. Then they started working together and collaborating, and knocked it down to three design ideas. In about a month, they'll have the finished product.
The class does all the work, design to construction for free. It will be built in Blacksburg, then moved to Clifton Forge.
“It's a tremendous gift to the community, but also the students get a lot back from this experience,” explained Marie Zawatowski, Virginia Tech design/build Lab professor.
Taylor Terrill says the class takes students out of the virtual design world, and plops them right down in the middle of the real world.
“Like our first time we interviewed the community, and just seeing the excitement that they had for this project, and just the breath of life that it will breathe into this community. Just seeing their expressions is rewarding in itself,” Terrill said.
John Hillert, the president of the foundation to preserve the theater, says the amphitheater is a blessing, especially since the main building is about to under go a huge renovation. And when the students complete the project, it will be a gem in Clifton Forge.
“It's another one of those steps forward that gives us another feature, another draw for tourism especially,” Hillert said.
From the looks of the impressive models, the amphitheater will be a must see.
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