A Virtual Groundbreaking: Brecksville Celebrates Construction of New School

ThenDesign celebrates the groundbreaking of a new educational facility in Brecksville.

In order to stay safe and hamper the spread of Covid-19, large gatherings and public events are largely being limited to halt the spread of the virus. However, that does not mean that all design and construction phases have been stopped. While districts, designers and construction officials may be in a difficult moment, safety measures can be put in place, so a variety of projects continue moving forward. Across Ohio, administrators and districts continue to plan for additional school projects with several groups in the Cleveland area moving forward with construction projects.

One such city, Brecksville, Ohio, marked the beginning of construction of their new Brecksville-Broadview Heights City Schools’ PreK-5 facility on July 21st with a ceremonial groundbreaking on a hot and overcast day. This project, which follows principles in modern educational design, offers students a variety of opportunities for collaboration, technology integration, and multi-purpose learning spaces to further their education. Several dozen dignitaries from the city, the school superintendent, as well as the mayor and many other design and construction team members, attended to celebrate the commencement of construction. Following comments made by Superintendent Joelle Magyar, the Honorable Mayor Jerry Hruby thanked citizens for their support of the project and highlighted all that this new facility can provide students in the future. Ceremonial shovels (spaced six feet apart) were used to move the first bits of earth and posed for pictures.

With the distancing guidelines in effect, the event was captured from a variety of camera angles and live streamed to social media for parents and students to take part. An aerial video system (drone) took footage of the construction site and event, while several additional angles were captured on the ground for post-production.

In order to support the district, the design team from TDA, attended. Chris Smith, Ryan Schmit, Mia Katz and Jeff Crocker who completed the design phases of the building attended with a photographer. The project now enters construction administration and TDA is working closely with Shook Construction to ensure the building is completed successfully. The entire team is committed to supporting the district from all aspects of production, whether that is in design, construction, or communication.

"School buildings have the opportunity to serve as hubs for the community and serve the population for decades to come..."

ThenDesign Architecture

These types of groundbreaking events are key to furthering public support, communicating the project’s progress, and provide an avenue to bringing teachers, parents, and students inside the process. School buildings have the opportunity to serve as hubs for the community and serve the population for decades to come and TDA works with stakeholders, engaging the community to ensure the end product is a well-designed space that makes a positive impact in on students’ lives for years to come.

We are all navigating through a challenging time due to the pandemic. Our work helping districts plan to reopen the schools in the fall, and assisting those communities that continue to plan for educational opportunities for their students and staff, will help them to confidently move forward from a position of newfound safety and strength.