SeamonWhiteside’s Spartanburg office takes lead in public school projects
March 24, 2022
SeamonWhiteside (SW+), a full-service land design firm with offices throughout the Carolinas, recently completed civil engineering and landscape architecture design services for a new middle school located within Spartanburg School District Five. The construction of the new middle school recently began in Duncan, South Carolina. During the design of the project, the firm worked closely with District Five on the project and handled the site planning and engineering, landscape architecture design, and coordinated site permitting. The firm will continue to help with construction administration throughout the life of the project. The middle school is currently scheduled to open for the 2024-25 academic year.
The Spartanburg office is leading SeamonWhiteside to master their work in school design. Along with the new middle school, design work is currently underway on two additional District Five elementary schools. These projects have allowed the firm to become well-learned and efficient in the school design process, refining the company’s operations and procedures when it comes to this specific work. Close coordination with the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) has been exercised for each project beginning with early conceptual planning to ensure school access requirements are being met for each particular site.
“People don’t realize SeamonWhiteside’s capabilities for public school projects because the firm does not have a long history of experience in school design. Our team in the Spartanburg office is excited to contribute this service to the firm as a whole,” says Danny Balon, PE, Director of the Spartanburg Office. “The great thing about the middle school project is, we were able to take a piece of property already owned by District 5, study it, and make it work, so the District didn’t have to spend additional money searching and buying new property. Instead, we used the existing conditions and designed a site that will be incredible for the students of this community for many years to come.”
The team worked closely with District 5 to help create a campus vision and theme to tie the new middle school with the existing Abner Creek Academy, located directly adjacent to the site. One common driveway will be utilized for both schools, while an internal traffic circle will allow vehicle flow to each school.
Projects like these allow SeamonWhiteside to become experts in public school work, fully understanding the scope and nuances of the districts and the SCDOT. SeamonWhiteside is also working closely alongside architecture firm LS3P on these projects.
“SeamonWhiteside has been an amazing partner on the design of the Spartanburg District 5 schools. Their creative insight coupled with their experience with SCDOT and the local jurisdictions is essential for the project success.” Jaime Henderson, Architect, Associate Principal, and K-12 Education Sector Leader at LS3P. “Danny Balon and his team are always responsive and know how to deliver a thorough set of documents. We look forward to opening these new schools to the wonderful students and teachers of this district.”
About SeamonWhiteside
SeamonWhiteside (SW+) is a full-service land design firm providing master planning, civil engineering, landscape architecture, urban design services and permit coordination to public and private clients throughout the Carolinas. SW+ believes that crafting great places is achieved by blending a deep understanding of a client’s vision, strong relationships, collaborative design, and a passionate team. This approach results in innovative spaces that enrich lives and leave a lasting legacy for future generations. Headquartered in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, SeamonWhiteside also has offices in Summerville, Greenville, Spartanburg and Charlotte, North Carolina. For more information on SW+, visit www.seamonwhiteside.com.
