Bringing the Hokie Home: The nation's first line of collegiate licensed home plans
Some college students and graduates wish they could live on campus forever. For Virginia Tech alumni, that feel of living on the Blacksburg campus can now be an integral part of their own homes.
Virginia Tech has partnered with Balzer and Associates, Inc., an architectural and engineering firm based in Roanoke, Va., to develop the first ever line of collegiate licensed home plans. These plans, referred to collectively as “Bringing the Hokie Home,” will be introduced Friday, Sept. 9 at 11 a.m. at the Visitors Center located on Southgate Drive.
Representatives from the university and Balzer and Associates will be on hand at this event. Balzer and Associates will display the “landmark style” along with several other plans that are on the drawing board.
The new line will consist of a wide range of plans including those for individual rooms or patios, to outdoor gazebos, to small and large scale homes that incorporate the characteristic “Collegiate Gothic” architectural elements found on most Virginia Tech buildings. In addition to several existing plans, Balzer and Associates will also develop custom plans that also reflect the experiences and needs of individual customers. All blueprints sold or developed will have the Virginia Tech shield logo and will be a registered “Hokie Home.”
“Virginia Tech alumni have deep connections with their campus, and the atmosphere created by the Collegiate Gothic campus architecture becomes an integral part of each person’s college experience and long term memories,” said Craig Balzer, president of Balzer and Associates. “The plans we’ve developed reflect the architectural style of Virginia Tech, and we’ve reinterpreted this style for a contemporary home lifestyle. We are pleased to offer a wide range of plans that will allow alumni to express their connection to Virginia Tech through their homes.”
Balzer notes that many aspects of Collegiate Gothic design—the use of arches, bay windows, heavy stone and brick work, and bold forms with large hip and gable roofs--are adaptable to residential designs. Each plan includes these uniquely Virginia Tech elements that are found in building across campus. Each plan will be modified for accommodate the site and owner, but will share a common design identity and a high standard of quality.
“Being the first university of offer licensed home plans is very exciting, and something we’re proud to offer alumni and others who have deep connections with our university,” said Locke White, director of licensing and trademark at Virginia Tech. “We already know there is great interest in this idea, and we are proud to partner with Balzer and Associates, a firm with many Virginia Tech alumni, on this project.”
