VMDO Architects

Perched atop a former mountaintop removal coal mining site, Southern Gap High School reclaims a scarred Appalachian summit and transforms into a community anchor rooted in resilience and regional pride. The origins of the project trace back to a directive from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to demolish two existing school facilities located in flood-prone hollers. In response, county leaders developed a mission to unite four high schools into a consolidated site so that all students have access to the same high-quality resources, regardless of geography or socioeconomic background. The result is a bold civic gesture: a building that shelters learning while symbolizing a new shared identity rising from a deeply storied landscape.

The new school’s site is not incidental but rather symbolic. The Southern Gap campus reimagines its extracted landscape as one of vision, community, and care. The building’s architectural parti draws directly from Buchanan County’s cultural and geological roots. A strong central spine clad in brick evokes the long, linear tunnels of coal mines and connects all the building’s primary functions. Striated in bands of earthy color reference the layered geological history of the site. Vertical reveals etched into the façade emulate the deep scoring left behind by coal extraction drills. Metal-clad volumes that intersect the brick spine draw inspiration from the local architectural industrial heritage. These wings house specialized programs such as athletics, performing arts, and engineering, each framed as sites of purposeful activity and cultural continuity.

Inside the school balances industrial references with warmth and inspiration. Wide corridors open to framed views of the surrounding ridgelines while small nodes along circulation routes offer spaces to display student work and foster informal collaboration. Classrooms are bright, open, and flexible. A 700-seat auditorium, designed to support school and community performances alike, and a central dining commons form a civic core. Throughout, the design honors the ethos of a region built on craftsmanship, perseverance, and place-based knowledge.

This spirit of making is especially alive in the school’s expansive CTE program. Previously located at a separate site, CTE at Southern Gap High School is integrated with academic and extracurricular life. The design team collaborated directly with CTE educators and students on a series of participatory installations that will evolve over time. Brick walls sculpted with a local artisan, student-fabricated steel signage pieces, a history wall at the main entrance, and wood elements built from trees salvaged at each of the existing high schools reinforce the theme of unification. Drone footage of the construction process, captured by student pilots, not only documents progress but also exemplifies the notion that this school is designed with and for students.

In a community where sports have long been central to school identity and rivalry, the new consolidated athletic facilities provide a shared arena for competition and celebration. The stadium is designed to host regional football championships and Friday night games that will draw thousands from across the county and beyond. A dedicated wrestling room honors one of Buchanan’s most storied programs, and fields for track, baseball, soccer, and more reflect the diverse athletic passions of the student body. Where once students competed against each other, they now stand together.

In reclaiming a former coal site for education, this project replaces what was taken, not only metaphorically, but physically. It reintroduces beauty, stability, and rootedness, and allows regional memory to inform innovation. More than just a consolidation, this is a collective reimagining of what education can be. The school signals a rising horizon for Buchanan County, one where students inherit not only a new building, but a shared vision of belonging, opportunity, and community pride.