Project Update: Ralph Sampson Park Spraygrounds
Project Update: Ralph Sampson Park Spraygrounds
We’re excited to see the progress coming along at Ralph Sampson Park! Check it out!
Eastern Mennonite Elementary School project update
Eastern Mennonite Elementary school is in the home stretch with finishes being installed. On my last visit the lights were being installed inside, the drywall was done, and the shape of the space was clear. I am looking forward to a return visit as the doors have been installed and I imagine the space is flooded with light. There is also a special stained glass installation happening in one of the three upper windows on the north side of the space. I have seen bits of this beautiful work being created by Zachery Nafzinger on his social media posts for ZN Stained Glass.
This space will serve as a place of gathering for the students of the Elementary school to come together and build community. This is a fundamental goal of our firm is to create spaces where this can happen. The idea of building a stronger community through design is what drives us to keep doing what we are doing.
The goal of this building and this space was to keep a connection to the outside, to make it adaptable for many uses, and to incorporate building science / sustainability. We have achieved each of those goals with the wide doors that can stay open in nice weather creating a pavilion like space. The space will be used for lunch, class gatherings, whole school functions, and even a recreation space for days when PE cannot be outside. The building science / sustainability strategies we have used throughout this project include air tight insulation, exterior continuous insulation, LED lights, and a simple form to reduce material use while making the building striking from the outside.
I cannot wait to see it finished and being used. I know the teachers will also welcome this added space for their daily functions.
Blue Ridge Area Food Bank – Charlottesville Project Update
We have had the honor of working with the on several projects at their Verona and Charlottesville locations. In Charlottesville a few years ago we were able to support an interior renovation to allow for more office spaces and to brighten up the warehouse space.
Last year, we returned to the facility to help solve a space need they were having for additional freezer capacity. After receiving a grant, they were able to add an outdoor freezer that doubled their capacity. As you probably know already the need in our community continues to rise so the storage needs at the facility continues to grow. In order to protect the freezer we were tasked with designing a canopy to cover the new and existing freezers. This will help extend the life of the equipment allows them to operate a little more efficiently.
The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank is a non-profit organization that works to alleviate hunger in the Blue Ridge region of Virginia. Their mission is to improve food security through equitable access to good nutrition and the resources that support health and well-being. They cover 25 counties and 8 cities through our region which accounts for the millions of pounds of food they make available annually.
For more information about Blue Ridge Area Food Bank go to their website: https://www.brafb.org/
Haiti Eating Pavilion – Project Update
Paul sent us an update on the Haiti Eating Pavilion project he worked on with Dave Wheatley.
Dave is a carpenter that attends church with Paul at Charlottesville First United Methodist Church. He approached Gaines Group Architects to provide a rendering for fundraising and awareness purposes and structural consultation for an eating pavilion. Dave is a project team leader that travels to Haiti to help build a variety of projects for churches in Haiti. He operates through a group called FrIends of Fort LIberte. 
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Massanutten Resort Custom Home – Project Update
Work on this new custom home at Massanutten Resort continues to uncover the design we planned for our clients. Working in the resort on the steep slopes takes some extra care to develop a design that looks like it belongs. There are many houses that clearly just got put on the site but our goal is to always integrate the design with the land. As Beck Builders continues to their work we will update you on the progress.
This modern style cottage has the large glass wall to capture views as well as a large wrap around deck and screen porch. It also blends into the landscape with earth tone colors and exposed wood overhangs. Blending in a rusted metal color and the warm wood over the backdrop of the dark siding makes it clear that this home has style.
Working with the grade on the site we were able to diminish the garage door from being a focal point of the home design. We also extended the driveway and planned a parking area on the home site so the owners can host lots of friends at their retreat. We cannot wait until the interior finishes get installed so we can see the final vision in real life.
Spanish Lab and Learning Center Project Update
We have been fortunate to work on a variety of Daycare facilities this year. The Spanish Lab and Learning Center Daycare is another brand new facility that will open in 2025 in Harrisonburg.
This facility is going into an existing building that will require a few major changes to make it work efficiently for a daycare. The biggest challenge with converting an office building into a daycare is typically exterior egress access. In the case of this building, which had holding cells, the major challenge was thick concrete walls where you didn’t want them. We evaluated multiple buildings before finding this one that seemed to work just right for the new use. However, taking out a concrete ceiling and walls that were specifically designed not to come out proved to be a challenge. Fortunately our builder, Nesselrodt Construction, partnered with the innovative excavation firm Maust Excavating to figure out a simple way to safely remove the existing concrete.
As work progresses, the vision for this space is coming into focus. The Spanish Lab and Learning Center will get a dedicated entrance and the Daycare will have a separate entrance. The fenced in yard will make for a great playground and over time more equipment can be added. The classrooms will have lots of windows to invite in natural light where possible.
The additional of more daycare spaces in Harrisonburg is huge for our community. There are waiting lists everywhere for daycare and this prevents everyone who wants to work to get to work. Children who have the opportunity to attend a daycare are more prepared for kindergarten and have opportunities for growing social, emotional, and cognitive skills.
This particular daycare will provide for Spanish speaking skills to grow before ever entering kindergarten. Once you meet the owners of this facility, you will know that the care and quality it will provide will be the best.