Emil & Grace Shihadeh Innovation Center - Winchester, VA

The Emil & Grace Shihadeh Innovation Center, a 54,000-square-foot facility at Handley High School in Winchester, VA was designed by VMDO in partnership with Reader + Swartz Architects. 

The design emphasizes high-visibility work labs and dynamic collaboration spaces, while prioritizing sustainability with features such as natural daylighting and healthy materials. 

The exterior renovation of the existing brick school incorporates Swisspearl's high-density fiber cement panels, a mix of red Swisspearl slat panels, dark grey large panels, and wood slats in a rainscreen application with ECO Cladding’s economical visible-fastened Hci.10 System. The design team was committed to providing a fully engineered system (both C.I. Subframing and Panel Subframing) in which the entire wall is engineered to accommodate project wind loads, seismic loads, building slab-to-slab deflections, and thermal movements of materials.

The project, a joint venture with Laurel Ridge Community College and local industry partners, aims to enhance workforce readiness for high school students and community members, fostering innovation and collaboration.