When Tyner Middle High Academy opens in the fall of 2024, it will be Hamilton County Schools' most modern facility, equipped with metal panel roofing, covered walkways for students and a brand new turf football field.
The new building will be able to accommodate up to 1,400 students.
The entrance will feature an alumni wall with the names of notable former students.
The rebuild, which combines and replaces Tyner middle and high schools, comes after years of complaints by students and staff about the buildings' poor conditions.
MBI Companies Inc., the firm contracted to design the new school, held a community meeting Thursday where officials revealed initial renderings.
"It's the first new school that we're designing with future-ready institutes in mind," Ronny Rahn, principal architect for MBI, said.
The two-story building separates middle and high school students, but there are shared spaces. These include the cafeteria, band room, media room and other seating areas.
Middle and high schoolers will each have their own full-court gyms and classrooms. The high school gym will also have an indoor running track and two practice courts.
The new design also includes a 400-seat theater and a weight room that opens to a CrossFit-like space so students can exercise, Jerry Isaksen, principal architect for MBI, said.
"Most importantly, or as important, I should say, is the safety and security of the students and the staff that come to this building. We want to make sure that we're doing everything we can to make sure that we've got different aspects of safety and security in place as we enter the building, as we learn in the building, as we work in the building, and making sure that's a part of it," Isaksen said.
Security measures include hardened entrances and tornado shelters.
The architects have also incorporated natural light into the school's design.
"We tried to take advantage of of the natural daylight that we have, and bring them into spaces in such a way and balance that with the safety and security," Isaken said.
Demolition of Tyner's stadium may begin as early as December. In that space, new construction will begin, and students will be moved into the new building by the fall of 2024. Once moved in, the current buildings will be demolished to make way for a new parking lot, football stadium and practice field. Architects expect the entire project to be complete in early 2025.
Community members applauded following MBI's presentation.
"I'm really excited to see it get going. The dirt starts moving and to get people excited. So we're no longer saying, 'When? When? When?' We actually see some stuff done. And I'm excited for us to go in there to the new classrooms, theater. I mean, this is going to be state-of-the-art. So, I'm very excited. Very pleased," Kelvin Scott, president of Tyner's parent-teacher association, said.
Contact Carmen Nesbitt at cnesbitt@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327. Follow her on Twitter @carmen_nesbitt.
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