Tindall Uses Precast Concrete Wall Panels to Build Virginia’s First Public Middle School

Tindall Corporation, a national leader in precast concrete, worked with the Isle of Wight County Schools in Windsor, VA to help build Georgie D. Tyler Middle School, the state’s first public middle school to use high performance structural and architectural precast concrete wall panels.

“With this project being the first precast middle school in Virginia, there was a lot of importance placed on aesthetics, schedule and safety,” noted a representative from Ritchie-Curbow Construction, Co., the project’s general contractor. “Tindall not only excelled at these requirements, but it was done with the utmost professionalism.”

Tindall used 198 precast concrete wall panels to fully clad the school. Installation of the wall panels required only one month of the project’s 14-month duration which accelerated the building’s dry-in and helped save the school district time and money. The aesthetic requirements and unique exterior design concept were new to the school community and ultimately led to the selection of an architectural precast approach.

The school’s precast wall panels include a buff-colored concrete mix with varying sandblast depths to provide a contrasting surface appearance in line with the project’s overall architectural concept. The exterior design incorporates cast-in, thin-set brick to provide a background for the accent features created by the buff concrete surface.

The school’s pleasing appearance did not go unnoticed. The Tidewater News reported that Windsor mayor Carita Richardson praised the building as “one of the most beautiful schools I’ve ever seen,” while Delores “Dee Dee” Darden, the town’s county board supervisor, called the new school “both a jewel and a centerpiece of the school division.”

A two-story, 115,000-square-foot facility, Georgie D. Tyler Middle School includes ‘grade houses’ for 6th, 7th and 8th grade students and can accommodate up to 800 pupils.

Headquartered in Spartanburg, SC, Tindall Corporation is one of North America’s largest precast concrete companies and is a leader in the design, manufacture and installation of precast, prestressed concrete structural systems, architectural cladding systems and underground utility structures.