Architecture thesis students build Skate Park Pavilion for the Town of Blacksburg

During their fifth year as undergraduate architecture students in Virginia Tech's School of Architecture + Design, Jeff Franklin and Miron Nawratil designed and built a pavilion for the Town of Blacksburg's new skate park at 615 Patrick Henry Drive last spring.

Franklin and Nawratil worked in conjunction with the town and Dean Crane, director of parks and recreation, to create the pavilion. The grand opening of the skate park was held on Aug. 25.

"This project is an example of exceptional initiative on the part of Jeff and Miron. They designed the pavilion, sought funding for its realization, and built it themselves,” said Scott Poole, School of Architecture + Design Director. "We believe that interactions of this kind, that extend the influence of the university into the local community, will benefit our educational mission and the town. I would not be at all surprised if the pavilion led some of the younger members of our community to architecture and the design professions."

Franklin, originally from Martinsburg, W.Va., currently works at REX in New York, N.Y. Nawratil, originally from Gliwice, Poland, lives in Arlington, Va., and works for SmithGroup in Washington, D.C. Both graduated from Virginia Tech in May.

Funding for the pavilion has been made possible by contributions from individuals and companies throughout the nation, the Town of Blacksburg and the School of Architecture + Design. More information can be found online.

The College of Architecture and Urban Studies is one of the largest of its type in the nation. The college is composed of three schools and the Department of Art and Art History, part of the multi-college School of the Arts. The School of Architecture + Design includes programs in architecture, industrial design, interior design, and landscape architecture. The School of Public and International Affairs includes programs in urban affairs and planning, public administration and policy, and government and international affairs. The Myers-Lawson School of Construction, a joint school of the College of Architecture and Urban Studies and the College of Engineering, includes programs in building construction and construction management. The college enrolls nearly 2,000 students offering 24 degrees taught by 153 faculty members.