Come 2023, the Fort Campbell, Kentucky family is slated to have a new school for their middle school students on the Army post.
Several stakeholders had an opportunity to take part in a Virtual Reality experience, March 31, to get a 3D look of the future Fort Campbell Middle School. Contractor, Woolpert, held the VR experience on behalf of the Louisville District for the Fort Campbell Middle School construction project.
“We are definitely happy to see this middle school progressing. The biggest benefit to me is having an education infrastructure that supports our children’s development into the 21st century and beyond,” said Col. Jeremy Bell, U.S. Army Garrison Fort Campbell commander. “This is a great project, and one we can’t get done quick enough.”
While traditional 1D models have been used; or interested personnel have had to wait until completion to see the final product, 3D modeling brings a new perspective to the design and construction phases.
“We’ve seen many benefits from using the Virtual Reality – in being able to present to the customer and stakeholder what (the project) will look like and talk to the users of it,” said Louisville District Deputy Engineer Linda Murphy.
According to Murphy, using VR during the design phase helps improve efficiency during the construction phase because fewer modifications have to be made.
“This is the wave of the future – to use the 3D modeling more as you enter into the design phase and as a tool to get customer and stakeholder input, so they really know what it looks like,” Murphy said.
The Fort Campbell Middle School will replace the old Wassom Middle School and will be more than 125,000 square feet, with the new high school and future middle school designed to have a campus atmosphere.
“We have a good appreciation for all that lies ahead for us. This is the inflection point, where we go from it being virtual to now becoming real,” said Louisville District Commander Col. Eric Crispino. “I look forward to seeing it become real over the next few years.”