WASHINGTON, D.C.—Architectural firm DLR Group recently hosted officials from the Maury Elementary School in the nation’s capital to behold the changes that the firm made to the school.

Because the school was originally constructed on Capitol Hill in 1886, it was in need of refurbishment, and the designers sought to give it a more modern look to blend in with the more familiar nearby buildings. The $42 million renovation project entailed 70,000 square feet of educational space. The work was funded via a campaign set forth by the District of Columbia Public Schools’ capital improvements program.

Among DLR’s renovations was fashioning a new learning environment that utilized glass elements in the design motif for its “discovery commons.” This was meant to act as a metaphorical bridge between the older design elements and those that DLR has since installed—and act as a literal bridge between exterior and interior elements too.

DLR also upgraded the elementary school’s music and art classrooms, science labs and various other learning spaces. The redesign has redirected the flow of people flow through the school better so that students, teachers and staff can get from one area to the next much faster. The redesigned learning spaces are also meant to encourage collaboration rather than solitary learning.

General contractor MCN Build worked with DLR to modernize the HVAC system, among other work.

The renovated school will now be able to host some 450 students, marking an upgrade over its previous capacity of approximately 360.

In a recent statement, DLR Group Principal Sarah Woodhead said that her firm worked to ensure that communal spaces were optimized for both learning and playing.

“The creative design of child-scale places, biophilic materials, and indoor-outdoor connections creates a unique educational environment that inspires, attracts, and sparks children’s love of learning,” stated Woodhead.

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Located in a 1920s-era structure that once housed Gwynns Falls High School, Green Street Academy opened in fall 2015 following a $23 million renovation to the landmark building. The academy was developed by Seawall Development Co. and designed by architecture firm Hord Coplan Macht — both of Baltimore. Southway Builders, also of Baltimore, and Washington, D.C.-based MCN Build completed the extensive renovations in a joint venture.

Academy leaders received word of the school’s LEED Platinum certification in May, but were officially awarded the certification in October. School officials and students as well as representatives of the development, design and construction teams attended the award ceremony.

Green Street Academy’s recent honor is a strong example of how the school puts its mission of offering sustainable, future-focused education into action, according to a statement by Dan Schochor, Green Street Academy’s executive director. “Much has been made about the importance of creating 21st century-prepared students through education, and there is no better way to accomplish that goal than to surround those same students with a structure that very literally supports that mission and vision,” Schochor said.

The 111,000-square-foot facility achieved LEED Platinum certification for implementing practical and measurable strategies and solutions aimed at achieving high performance in sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor-environmental quality. Sustainability and resiliency strategies were integrated throughout the building process. For example, the site offers a variety of connections to the surrounding community and supports public transportation, bikes and pedestrian traffic. Preferred parking was added for fuel-efficient vehicles and carpools, and open spaces were maximized to create outdoor learning areas. The heat-island effect was also reduced with the addition of reflective roofs.

The project team also ensured the responsible use of natural resources via water-efficient landscaping and enhanced commissioning system verification. Nearly 8 percent of the school’s energy is produced through photovoltaic parking canopies.

The careful renovation reused 100 percent of the existing building’s walls, floors and roofs as well as 66 percent of its existing interior non-structural elements. More than 80 percent of construction waste was diverted from landfills, and recycled materials constituted 41 percent of new materials installed. Sustainable strategies were further developed into an overall site master plan, including the addition of a cistern-fed gardens, an entrance canopy with a green roof, a community fruit orchard and a global outdoor classroom, among other initiatives.

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