Gresham turned a commercial building fire disaster to an advantage, with a rebuilding scheme that added 60% more building volume to the same site at one-third less cost than duplicating the original.

VIMS Seaside Hall

E.T. Gresham Company completed construction services for Phase I of the award-winning Seaside Hall at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) Eastern Shore Lab in Wachapreague, Virginia. This 3,100 SF project was made necessary by a fire that destroyed the previous building on this site. Seaside Hall features a taxonomy laboratory, an analytical laboratory, and a general use room that can serve as a library, conference room, or classroom.

Care was taken to be good stewards within the energy and ecological scope of the project and to develop the project as an example of coastal response to seawater rise/FEMA requirements. To that end, the building featured many innovative materials, designs, and approaches to ecological preservation and green building systems.

Architect: VIA Design Architects, PC
Owner: Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)

Project Type(s):
Education
Higher Education

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