Conceptual designs for Burlington High School & Burlington Tech Center

The public is introduced to the design concepts for the new Burlington High School and Burlington Technical Center for the first time.

The five conceptual models were presented at a meeting of the Burlington School Board Tuesday evening.

This was the first time board members and the public had seen the orientation of the building on the two properties around Institute Road could be and part of the interior design of large spaces.

Board members discussed the benefits of each proposed design, but the community will also be able to provide feedback through a poll and public forum scheduled for April 12.

To analyse:What could zoning issues mean for the construction of Burlington’s new high school?

One change is that the district is now considering demolishing the old BHS and BTC campus before building the new school. The designated construction site which was north of Institute Road but east of the old campus is restricted due to the steep topography on the north side leading into the Forest of Arms and some soil and visibility issues .

Some of the designs include building in the area where the old campus currently stands; others, however, would keep Building A intact as usable space during construction.

What’s included in every BHS/BTC design

Burlington School District communications specialist Russ Elek shared some of the features that would be common to all designs.

Each includes 300,000 square feet of build space and includes the same educational program elements, a potential multi-level gym, a larger cafeteria and auditorium, and a multi-level common area with entrance access. which allows surveillance and security.

There will be a visitor entrance, bus and car depot, and specific entrances for the Burlington Tech Center, Horizons and OnTop programs. In addition, the technical center would have service access points.

Vehicle parking is increased by 25 spaces to 375 parking spaces, and bicycle parking is increased from 40 to 240 from what was available on the original campus.

What’s cooking?:Vermont high school programs are training tomorrow’s chefs as restaurants scramble to hire them

Elek said all options present a great opportunity for sustainable design, have good solar orientation, and indoor-outdoor connection. He said the courtyards were incorporated into the designs but could be easily expanded.

District offices were added to the concept art to get an idea of ​​where they might be located, but are not part of the construction project.

A look at the five models

Here are some of the key differentiating features of each design.

Design A

• Estimated cost: $191.4 million.
• Three storey building.
• Allows the continued use of Old Campus Building A for two years during construction and accommodates available site.
• Optional parking, at an additional cost, could connect to the middle level of the building.
• There would be an entrance on the lower level of Institute Road.
• The BTC would be on the north side of the building and join in the center to the student common area.
• The common area offers dining and gathering areas as well as a pre-event staging area for the gymnasium and auditorium.
• Academic halls, rest areas and laboratories are oriented around a courtyard bringing natural light to these areas.

Design B

• Estimated cost: $182.3 million.
• Building with four floors in the center and three floors at the ends.
• Built on the existing high school site, but being compact, it leaves more room for future expansion.
• The BTC would be located on the north side, behind the BHS, but connected by the common student area.
• A multi-level common area would be in the center of the building between the gymnasium and the auditorium.
• A lower level entrance would provide access for visitors and students on the south side and an upper entrance on the north side provides access to the student commons from the parking area.

C-Design

• Estimated cost: $181.3 million.
• Four-story building at east end and three-story in other areas.
• A more linear layout allows common areas to be located more centrally for easy access to the lower level entrance and upper level parking areas.
• Built on the site of the existing school, but allows for future expansion to North Avenue.
• BTC would face Institute Road and run along the west side of campus with connections to BHS at multiple levels and service entrances at the rear of the building.
• The gymnasium and auditorium would be on either side of the common space, parallel.

Design C.1

• Estimated cost: $186.5 million.
• This design has the same floor plan as Design C but is offset to the east to allow for more phased construction.
• Building A at the old site could be used continuously during construction, but BTC would remain in its temporary spaces until 12 to 18 months later.
• All right of the red line would be built in phase one. This consists of BHS, common area, gym, auditorium and kitchen.
• All that remains of the orange line is Building A which would be occupied for the first year or year and a half while the BHS side is being built. This section would then be demolished in phase two and then the BTC would be built in this space.
• With the orientation closer to North Avenue, future expansion space would be smaller.

Design D

• Estimated cost: $196.9 million.
• This design reorients the front of the building to face Institute Road and creates a loop around the properties for circulation.
• Institute Road would be rerouted around the property instead of bisecting the space and a new traffic entrance from North Avenue would be created at the south end of the property. This creates a consolidated campus where the school, athletic fields, and parking are contained within and saves students from having to cross a public road when going back and forth between these areas.
• The design of the building is more urban with a curved L-shaped design and has a more civic presence facing North Avenue.
• BHS and BTC would be in separate wings connected by the common areas in the center.
• An arrival area would allow drop-off in front of the school, and the entrance for buses and the CTB would be at the back of the building.
• The building design crosses the southern property, but the athletic fields would not be disturbed.
• An open green space on the north side would allow easier access to Arms Forest for outdoor programming.
• The city was consulted on the potential for rerouting the industrial route and was open to discussing this change.
• This design would likely have a longer build time.

The council meeting slideshow includes further drawings of the ground floor interior layout and a 3D modeling of the exterior. It can be found here: https://go.boarddocs.com/vt/bsdvt/Board.nsf/files/CD7NL25DF0E0/$file/BTC%20Conceptual%20Design%20Options%204.5.2022.pdf.

More information about the project is available at https://www.bsdvt.org/bhs-btc-2025/.

Contact reporter April Barton at [email protected] or 802-660-1854. Follow her on Twitter @aprildbarton.