press release

VMDO Architects receives Citation of Excellence and National Recognition for Innovative Educational Design Facility

VMDO Architects, PC (Charlottesville, Virginia) has received a Citation of Excellence for outstanding educational facility design in the 2009 edition of Learning By Design, the premier annual guide that showcases innovative school and university design and construction projects, published in April. Recognized for its construction of Manassas Park Middle School (Manassas Park, Virginia), VMDO Architects received one of only 14 Citation of Excellence Awards in this year's competition, which drew more than 110 entries.

Judges called the school's site plan one of the best-developed plans they've seen. "It's a small site that is very well articulated and designed." The 40-acre site coordinates with the adjacent high school and features a library at the head of the lawn, giving it a regional, Jeffersonian feel.

The common area, located in the heart of the building, also earned high marks for its scale and "non-disruptive" design. Judges were impressed with the multi-level building's abundant daylight as well as its "elegant detailing" and open space, and they praised the building as a "demonstration of how school design can transform the community."

VMDO Architects was founded in 1976 and is the youngest firm to receive the T. David Fitz-Gibbon Virginia Architecture Award, the most prestigious honor given by the Virginia Society of American Institute of Architects.

For further information, interview, and photography opportunities in reference to this project and VMDO Architects, please contact William Bishop at 434.296.5684, email at bishop@vmdo.com.