ARLINGTON, Va.—The Heights, a new secondary school building in Arlington, is now complete. The 181,000-square-foot facility co-locates two Arlington Public School (APS) programs—a democratic alternative magnet program, and a program for students with severe intellectual disabilities.

Leo A Daly served as executive architect for the approximately $100-million project, working closely with design architect BIG—Bjarke Ingels Group. Gilbane Building Company provided construction manager at-risk services.

“The Heights creates a new architectural icon in Northern Virginia and one of the most innovative educational facilities ever built,” explained Tim Duffy, vice president and director of technical services with Leo A Daly.

“Learning and community are infused into every detail—from its twisting geometry to the bespoke learning environments that support students in their educational journey.”

The team successfully maximized density and open space on the constrained site. Five levels of classrooms are rotated around a central pivot point, creating rooftop terraces on each level that serve as outdoor educational environments. A cascading central stair stitches the five levels together, creating a sense of connectivity and community that is rare in midrise school buildings.

A lobby and gathering space, theater and gymnasium are located on the ground floor, occupying spaces of varying heights created by the rotation of the classroom bars. Public areas are accessible from the main street along Wilson Boulevard.

The large open lobby offers tiered seating for students to gather. Classrooms use flexible layouts that can be rearranged for different learning formats. State-of-the-art smart panel screens allow students to share content from their own school-issued devices for more interactive learning. Specialized spaces include a library, art studio, a kiln, science and robotics labs, music rehearsal rooms and two performing arts theaters.

Additionally, four rooftop terraces are accessible directly from classrooms on levels two through five. Each terrace provides a different scale of activity, from large gatherings to class discussions and quiet study areas. The four terraces are designed to reflect the major ecosystems of the Mid-Atlantic physiographic regions and are landscaped with native plants and tree species through an intensive green roof system.

Leo A Daly and BIG worked closely with structural engineering firm Robert Silman Associates to execute the building’s many gravity-defying cantilevers. A system of trusses transfers building loads at each level, while avoiding the need to have columns in classrooms or other large program areas, such as the gym and theater. A careful erection sequence was carried out in phases to build the complicated structure.

The project was designed in response to the rapid densification currently underway in the Rosslyn business district. As part of the West Rosslyn Area Plan (WRAP), the Heights contributes to an urban mixed-use corridor defined by civic-minded public spaces and a blend of retail, office and residential uses.

The Heights supports the learning needs of two unique APS programs housed there: H-B Woodlawn and the Stratford Program.

Based on the liberal education movements on the 1960s and 1970s, H-B Woodlawn empowers students from grades 6 through 12 to direct their own courses of study and engage directly in administrative matters. The space was designed more like a university campus than a typical high school.

The Eunice Shriver Kennedy Program—which serves special-needs students aged 11 to 22— occupies two levels within a dedicated wing of the building. Many Shriver Program students use wheelchairs and have sensory and motor disabilities that require the help of a personal companion during the day. The curriculum is individualized to each student and focuses on vocational and community skills such as daily living, communication, leisure, recreation and other skills that help with independence.

The density of the building’s program also required a careful approach to acoustical design. Spaces with the greatest potential for noise bleed—such as gyms and theaters—are located on the ground floor. Other spaces, such as music rehearsal rooms, have isolated floor slabs and suspended ceilings to buffer them from surrounding classrooms. The large auditorium uses conditioned air supplied through an underfloor plenum, achieving isolation from the adjacent mechanical room.

This high-performance, sustainable building is expected to achieve LEED Gold certification.

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ROANOKE COUNTY, Va.—With a completion date slated for summer 2020, construction remains underway on the renovation of Cave Spring High School in Roanoke County, Virginia.

The demolition has been completed and now, steel, slabs of concrete and writing on the walls are all that is left to do on this $43 million project.

Roanoke County School Board members awarded the contract last fall to Avis Construction Company. The company posted a base bid of $33.3 million and offered to complete add-on construction work for an additional $1.7 million.

Additionally, the school board also awarded a separate contract for modular classroom units to Aries Building Systems LLC for $1.4 million.

In early May, school officials showed off the renovation progress since breaking ground on the project,

“Is this exciting or what?” remarked Roanoke County School Board member Mike Wray.

Wray, who is a Cave Spring grad says the building has not changed that much since he was a student there, so the time is definitely right for an upgrade,

“We were cramped back then,” he recalls. “It’s just amazing what’s going on and it certainly was due.”

Nearly every square foot of the building—from classrooms to the cafeteria to the locker rooms—are being renovated. The new design includes letting in more sunlight and improving the flow of foot traffic by creating one long main hallway, instead of the old hexagon shape.

“It was disorienting,” says Nathan Harper, director of design at Spectrum Design, the architectural firm working on the project.

“It was very hard to figure out where you were, so cleaning that up,”

New additions at the high school include a wood shop, coffee shop and outdoor space.

There will be “opportunities for students to gather, instead of just hallways and doors into classrooms,” adds Harper.

While the gym and auditorium will only see minor upgrades. But with any major renovation, Harper says there are obstacles.

“The phasing and the orchestration of where the construction area is, the lay-down area, where the mobile classrooms are set up. All of that is always a challenge.”

Although the project is extensive, Wray says the renovation will reflect the school’s history for generations of alumni to come.

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Falls Church City Schools’ Superintendent Peter Noonan noted in a statement, “The design put forth by the Gilbane team is nothing short of brilliant. It is everything the community has asked for and more. I’m very excited as we now move into the home stretch with engagement between the architects and the community beginning in earnest.”

The selection of the design-build team comes after the Falls Church community approved a referendum to build the new high school in November 2017, after 10 years of document reviews, community meetings and feasibility research. The construction of the new building will be the last step in the process. The team’s design was selected because it addressed the community’s top priorities but also emphasized sustainable elements, flexible and collaborative learning spaces, community accessibility, robust safety and security measures, and compatibility with the upcoming adjacent 10-acre private development site planned as a vibrant mixed-use community.

The proposed exterior design of the new George Mason High School blends modern materials with traditional brick for a contemporary aesthetic constructed to stand the test of time. Interiors are also designed with an eye toward tomorrow with flexible floorplans that provide security, efficiency, and adaptability to support programs and educational needs as they evolve. Students and teachers are offered a mix of spaces — informed by the priorities of flexibility, visual transparency and natural daylighting — to forge an academic setting that encourages creative thought, community building and individual growth.

Gilbane, Stantec, and QEA each bring local K-12 expertise with award-winning portfolios of urban school projects in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. Notable projects include Dunbar Senior High School, The New School at the Wilson Site, Marie H. Reed Community Learning Center, McKinley Middle School and Academies of Loudoun.

“We are excited to collaborate with the Falls Church community and our design-build partners to deliver a modern learning environment that’s flexible as education needs shift in the future,” said Jennifer Macks, Senior Project Executive at Gilbane Building Company.

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The project, scheduled to officially kick off this summer, involves two buildings: Bird Hall, one of the college’s original buildings, and the Nicholas Center.

Upon project finalization, Bird Hall will house the college’s Nursing and EMS/Paramedic programs, allowing faculty and students to share state-of-the-art equipment and take part in cooperative experiences that will mimic real-world interactions. The renovated Bird Hall will also feature three new science labs.

The Nicholas Center revamp includes an expansion, which will nearly double the building’s current size. The 25,503-square-foot addition will be a new workforce center operated by the Community College Workforce Alliance — the workforce development partnership between JTCC and Reynolds Community College.

In addition to classroom spaces, the new workforce center will feature a spacious, flexible lab, which can be configured to suit a wide array of training programs. The renovated Nicholas Center will also boast a large conference room that can be used for workforce training and other functions; new collaborative spaces for Tyler students and the Office of Student Activities; a larger bookstore with a café; and additional general classroom and office space.

“At the heart of Tyler’s Chester Campus renovation project is workforce development,” said Holly Walker, public relations manager for JTCC. “The renovations to Bird Hall, one of our original buildings, and the renovation and expansion of the Nicholas Center will allow us to enhance and expand our programs that prepare students for the in-demand jobs of today and tomorrow and that support the workforce needs of area business and industry.”

The Chester Campus renovation project is expected to cost about $34 million and take about 14 months to complete. The architecture for the renovation is overseen by the national firm Grimm + Parker (G+P), while the construction will be handled by Cleveland-based Donley’s.

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