Williamson Sshriver Architects wins award for Mingo Central

The Williamson Daily News

Julia R Goad|Daily News

Teresa Jones, Principal at MCHS, told architect Ted Shriver, I never lose that Aha moment when I come up the hill to the school.

Julia Roberts Goad

Staff Writer

Williamson Shriver Architects, Inc. was awarded an Honor Award for Excellence in Architectural Design for the design of Mingo Central High School.

The AIA-WV awards program recognizes projects and details that demonstrate exemplary achievement of design. Entries are not judged in competition with each other, but rather by measuring the architects performance against each projects potential. Thus, projects of ordinary program or modest budget can merit an award based on the architects skill in optimizing the design opportunity.

As Southern West Virginia is comprised generally of rugged terrain with steep mountains and deep river valleys generally subject to flooding, large tracts of land to accommodate the state standards for new high school construction are difficult to find. The Mingo Central project site, however, provided an unusual opportunity not typically available in West Virginias southern coalfields. The project was located on a mountaintop removal site.

Ted Shriver, vice-president of Williamson Shriver, recently visited Mingo Central. He said the jury that voted to award the schools design an Award for Excellence didnt realize the specific challenges faced with this particular design.

Interestingly, one juror said he would have liked to see the surroundings the school was situated in, Shriver said. They didnt judge on the land up here, just on the use of space and the curriculum of the school and the design.

More:
Williamson Sshriver Architects wins award for Mingo Central