Army Family Housing site visit sparks architectural dreams for Vicenza High School students
More than a dozen Vicenza High School students recently toured Army Family Housing construction project that’s steadily built up across from their school over the past two years.
Some VHS teachers watching the buildings take shape connected courses, including environmental science and human geography, with the $500 million construction project, that will one day be home to 428 Army families at the Villaggio housing area. Sophomore Kamaryi Crenshaw looked at the project through the eyes of its future residents.
"I feel like if kids or high schoolers were to live in these new apartments, life for them would be really good," Crenshaw said. "They're closer to their friends. The high school, middle school, and elementary schools are all in walking distance."
Since breaking ground in 2021, work on the project has been a daily sight for the students. It’s being done in phases, in an enclaved area that separates it from the school area. For students like Catherine Green, the non-traditional field trip brought textbooks to life, she said.
"The unit we're working on right now is urban development," said Green, a VHS senior. "We're really focusing on housing, how green spaces fit into housing, and how it is progressing throughout the years. This is exactly what we're learning about, so it's really nice to be able to see it."
Eric Howard, a senior construction manager with the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, oversees the first phase of construction. He took the students inside the most completed apartments and explained the practical side of their classroom instruction.
"I know you guys have been working on urban planning, right?" Howard said “Each one of these neighborhoods is named after a different Italian city. See that big sign right there, 'Firenze neighborhood'? That's the neighborhood being made in phase one. Also, half of ‘Rome’ is being constructed under phase one."
Candace Brodeur, Deputy Resident Officer in Charge of Construction, helped students visualize the finished product during a bus tour of the worksite, as much of the site is currently bare concrete.
"To your right, there are no buildings down what we're calling the 'green spine,'" Brodeur said. "This is the pedestrian part of this city. There’s going to be no cars. There’s going to be fields, a pavilion, and a dog park. It's where the community is going to be able to come and interact."
The tour met the teachers’ intent and presented students information in a way that standard classroom instruction cannot. For example, Jami Bahmer, a Vicenza High School social studies teacher said students studying human geography look at how humans use space and spatial patterns, but the tour offered more.
"Even just looking at the layout and how that compares to different city models we're studying—and the walkability of the space—everything relates to our course."
Bridging theoretical study with applied work might encourage future careers, Bahmer said.
"I'm hoping that many of them are inspired if they have interests in engineering, architecture, or city planning," Bahmer said. "I hope this sparks some more interest in them."
This marks the second time students from the Vicenza military community have visited the new housing grounds at Villaggio. The NAVFAC team continues to work with teachers from Vicenza middle and high schools to provide site tours for students in related fields of study.
For Green, the tour offered a glimpse into her own professional future.
"I plan on doing architecture, especially residential," Green said. "So, this is pretty much exactly what the rest of my life will look like."
