Deconstruction of the Tire Warehouse, Phase II

This past weekend, design/build lab students completed phase 2 of the deconstruction of the tire warehouse behind the Masonic Theatre.

In order to reuse most of the wood, nails from the warehouse's original construction needed to be removed from each piece of lumber.

After removing nails and fasteners, all salvageable material was sorted and stored so it could be reused.

We will be returning to Clifton Forge this Wednesday to continue the deconstruction process. We will finish removing the roof in order to get the building ready for the removal of the interior trusses.

Virginian Review, Friday October 15th

This article appeared in the Virginian Review last Friday, October 15th. A town meeting was held to decide whether the fee for design/build LAB's construction debris from the warehouse in Clifton Forge would be waived.


The city council and Olde Towne Covington signed an agreement that dumping debris related to the Covington Farmers Market would be allowed at no cost.

D.D. Kerns Construction has donated the trash recepticles for the storage and removal of debris from the deconstruction site to the landfill.

This weekend, October 15th - 17th, we will continue our deconstruction of the tire warehouse.

Check back after this weekend for new photos and updates.

Deconstruction of the Tire Warehouse, Phase I

This past Wednesday, October 6th, the design build lab students went up to Clifton Forge for the day to begin deconstruction on the Tire Warehouse behind the Masonic Theatre. We began by cleaning out the debris and items left behind by the previous owners, and getting rid of any unusable material.

Once certain sections of the warehouse had been cleaned we began to power wash the interior of the space, including the timber framing. Any reusable or recyclable materials were set aside.

We also began to dismantle parts of the metal siding of the warehouse, which will be recycled and reused. On our next visit we will continue to take apart the metal siding and we will begin to dismantle the roof.

Surveying Clifton Forge Tire Warehouse

These are pictures of our group surveying the Clifton Forge Tire Warehouse donated to us by the Masonic Theatre Preservation Foundation. We will begin taking the building apart this week to reuse the materials in the Covington Farmers Market design.

Virginian Review, Wednesday September 29th

The students of Virginia Tech's design build lab are pleased to announce their collaboration with Olde Town Covington in the design and construction of the Covington Farmer's Market. In the Wednesday Sept. 29th edition of the Virginian Review, Keith and Marie Zawistowski, architecture professors at Virginia Tech, announced their plans for a study where students could get a taste of what it is really like to design a project, work with clients, and realize a final architectural product. The project will fulfill foundational objectives of Olde Town Covington: it will support education and learning, provide a benefit to the people of Covington and the Alleghany Highlands, and repurpose recycled building materials in the design. The Masonic Theatre Preservation Foundation from Clifton Forge has generously donated the timber-framed tire warehouse behind the theatre for the students to reuse in the construction of the farmer’s market. The market, which is anticipated to be completed by May 2011, will provide a venue for quality foods and locally grown produce to be available the public.