Author: editor
SCHRADERGROUP Principal Published in STRUCTURE Magazine
An article about a recently completed SCHRADERGROUP (SG) project, the restoration of the County courthouse dome in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was featured in the May 2016 issue of STRUCTURE Magazine. Authored by firm principal, Tom Forsberg, PE, the article describes the process undertaken to repair water damage affecting the structural framework of the dome and the subsequent restoration of the roof and crowning statue of Justitia, Lady Justice.
“The project certainly came with challenges,” says Tom. “But it was incredibly fulfilling to make a contribution towards preserving a piece of Lancaster City’s iconic skyline.”
To read the article and learn about this interesting project, visit STRUCTURE Magazine or download the article here.
SCHRADERGROUP Celebrates Expanded and Renovated Office Space
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) has, since our inception, been located in Manayunk, Pennsylvania – part of a corridor of communities that once served as the industrial base for Philadelphia. The office is located in one of the original Civil War era masonry and heavy timber structures, previously serving an industrial purpose. Recently, the firm had the opportunity to expand into an adjacent space and, along with nearly doubling the size of the office, to complete a renovation of the now-adjoining spaces.
“We seemed to fall prey to being ‘the cobbler’s children who have no shoes,’” said firm principal and managing partner David Schrader. “Although we are a firm of architects and designers, we were working in a space that was not well-designed; it was too small and not terribly functional. The expansion and renovation really has improved the way the office works. And now it looks like a space that befits a company of designers!”
Coming to work in a newly-expanded and renovated space was a great way to kick off the new year. If you’re ever in “The ‘Yunk,” we hope you’ll stop by to see us!
SCHRADERGROUP Principal Co-presents at AIA Academy of Architecture for Justice Fall Conference
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) managing principal David Schrader, AIA, LEED AP, co-presented at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Academy of Architecture for Justice (AAJ) 2015 fall conference held in Miami, Florida. The session, entitled “The Next Generation of Emergency Communication and Operation Centers: Consolidating Services,” discussed the critical nature of the consolidated functions of facilities at municipal, parish, county and state levels throughout the country.
Continued weather trends as well as concerns for domestic and national threats have heightened the status of emergency facilities and increased the number of services provided by these organizations. With an increased focus on emergency preparedness, the required technical and communication connectivity of the various supported agencies is challenging prior approaches to facility design. Further, increased need to staff, maintain and support these functions has brought the facilities closer to the urban fabric. The program presented at the AIA AAJ conference demonstrated recent design innovations developed to meet changing concerns through the examination of three recently built consolidated emergency response facilities.
Learning objectives for the session included:
- Understanding the challenges of the multiple client agencies housed within the next generation of facility.
- Discussing the code applications and recommendations utilized to develop contemporary emergency response centers.
- Developing a sense of the hardening requirements and system redundancies required of a facility of this type.
- Understanding the forces driving the consolidation of these services with other municipal functions.
One of the projects used as a case study for the presentation, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) State Emergency Operations Center, is designed by SG and currently nearing completion of construction. The project was featured in Justice Facilities Review 2014, published by the American Institute of Architects Academy of Architecture for Justice. For more information about the PEMA State Emergency Operations Center, please visit our website.
The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) State Emergency Operations Center, nearing completion
Elementary School Project Named Outstanding Design in Architectural Portfolio
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is pleased to announce that our Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary School new facility design for Bristol Township School District, Levittown, Pennsylvania, has been named an Outstanding Design in the 2015 American School & University Architectural Portfolio.
Architectural Portfolio, the premier showcase celebrating the best in education design, features over 100 projects in the November issue of American School & University magazine.
The new Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary School is a product of a prototype design developed by the design team to allow for simultaneous construction of three new elementary schools replacing nine existing outdated and aging neighborhood elementary schools. SG concurrently designed two sister schools, James Buchanan and Mary Devine Elementary Schools, at the same time as the Emerson project. While Emerson and Buchanan will be completed before the end of this year, the Mary Devine project construction process follows slightly behind the others and will not be put into use until the new year.
Main entry
History Wall
Learning Stairs
To learn more about the Bristol Township Elementary School projects, check out the November edition of American School & University or visit our website.
SCHRADERGROUP Attends Groundbreaking for New Elementary School
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) was pleased to be in attendance at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Early Learning Center and Elementary School to be constructed in the Phoenixville Area School District (PASD). Presently under construction and anticipated to be complete by August of 2017, the new 152,500 SF facility will support two specific grade structures in a “school within a school” format: K-1 in an Early Learning Center, and 2-5 as an Elementary School.
Groundbreaking ceremony for the Phoenixville Area School District new Early Learning Center and Elementary School
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, firm principal David Schrader commented “Our design journey is over but now the construction journey begins. We look forward to the day, not too long from now, when we can walk into the completed facility and see the beaming smiles of the students of Phoenixville Area School District.”
The design for the school, already gaining a “Work in Progress Citation” from American School & University Architectural Portfolio 2014 as well as an “Honorable Mention” from Learning by Design in their Fall 2015 issue, creates a focus on literacy and learning in a non-standard learning environment. To learn more about this exciting project, please visit our website.
SCHRADERGROUP Welcomes New Project Manager and Project Architect
SGA welcomes Mark Hitchcock, AIA and Devin Bradbury, AIA, LEED AP
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) proudly announces the addition of two talented professionals to our team.
SG is pleased to welcome Mark Hitchcock, AIA, to the firm as Project Manager. Mark joins SG with over 25 years of experience in all facets of professional architectural practice gained from his tenure with a number of architectural firms as well as with a development company. Skilled at working through all phases of services from programming and needs assessments to project completion, Mark’s experience encompasses small- and large-scale projects in a variety of markets, including educational, institutional and public work. Mark, a registered architect in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and New York, contributes a strong attention to detail as well as the ability to provide practical and economical design solutions for his clients. We look forward to the seasoned project leadership Mark will bring to the firm.
We also extend a warm welcome to Devin Bradbury, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, who joins the team as Project Architect. Devin comes to SG with professional experience that spans a variety of markets and covers all phases of design from schematic design and site planning to construction documentation and construction administration. A problem solver and critical thinker, Devin is interested in finding unique solutions that will improve design solutions. He thrives in a collaborative environment and enjoys working with clients as well as the project team. Also interested in contributing to the community through design, Devin is an active volunteer for the Community Design Collaborative in Philadelphia, and has completed two successful projects with the CDC over the past few years with sights set on contributing to more in the future.
Excited to have both Mark and Devin as part of SG, we look forward to the contributions they will make to the team, our projects, and our clients.
Early Learning Center and Elementary School Project Receives Honorable Mention from Learning by Design
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is pleased to announce that our Early Learning Center and Elementary School new facility design for Phoenixville Area School District, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, is the recipient of an Honorable Mention by Learning by Design magazine.
The Honorable Mention was awarded to the project by an American Institute of Architects Committee on Architecture for Education nationally appointed jury of architects and educational facility specialists.
The new 152,000 SF Early Learning Center and Elementary School, anticipated to be complete in April of 2017, is designed to support two specific grade structures in a “school within a school” format: K-1 in an Early Learning Center, and 2-5 as an Elementary School. A primary goal for the facility is to create a focus on literacy and learning in a non-standard learning environment. In response, the design places the media and technology center at the core of the facility with all other functions radiating from it.
Early Learning Center and Elementary School Media Center
To learn more about our Early Learning Center and Elementary School project, check out the Fall edition of Learning by Design or visit our website.
Higher Education Renovation Project Awarded Silver Citation in the 2015 American School & University Educational Interiors Showcase
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is pleased to announce that the renovation of the Rollins Advising and Transfer Center at Bucks County Community College in Newtown, Pennsylvania, was awarded a Silver Citation in the 2015 American School & University Educational Interiors Showcase, the premier competition honoring education interiors excellence.
Commenting that a “Clean, simple, modern color palette heightens the redesign of previously dark and underutilized spaces,” the jury selected the renovation as one of the 77 projects to be featured in the Educational Interior Showcase.
For the project, design services were provided for the renovation and conversion of approximately 4,300 SF of undefined space lacking in program within Rollins Hall into an Advising and Transfer Center. The space primarily is dedicated to student counseling and includes a suite consisting of small, flexible office spaces for advising functions.
The design features movable acoustical partitions as well as sliding and folding glass partitions to allow for flexibility and adaptability. Additionally, movable furniture fosters side-by-side collaboration by student and counselor. Other spaces included as part of the program include Director and Assistant Director offices, a Conference Room, and a larger Computer Room or training center for approximately 20 students. The space also integrates an existing fireside lounge feature along with small tables and comfortable seating scattered throughout to provide multi-function breakout spaces.
The design for the Center serves an important role in promoting a sense of identity for the College and is responsible for creating a welcoming first impression for visiting potential students. Mechanical, electrical, technology, and security system upgrades were also included as part of the project scope.
To see more images of the Rollins Advising and Transfer Center project, please visit American School & University Educational Interiors Showcase or our website.
SCHRADERGROUP Welcomes New Project Manager
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is pleased to welcome Courtney Anspach, RA, to the team as Project Manager. Courtney joins SG with over seventeen years of professional architectural design and project management experience gained during her tenure at VSBA (previously Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates). Versed in a wide array of project types, Courtney contributes specific expertise in the design and management of higher education projects. Known for her attention to detail and ability to tie client goals into the design and detail of a well-crafted building, Courtney has worked with institutions that include the University of Pennsylvania, Case Western Reserve University, and Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection (administered by the Trustees for Harvard University).
Delighted to have Courtney as part of SG, we look forward to the contributions that she will make to the team, our projects, and our clients.
SCHRADERGROUP Co-sponsors CEFPI School of the Future Competition, Managing Principal Chairs Jury
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) was proud to be one of the sponsors of the CEFPI School of the Future Design Competition, an annual event open to middle school students that challenges student teams to design learning environments to enhance learning, conserve resources, be environmentally responsive and engage the surrounding community. The multi-disciplinary solution developed requires students to follow a planning process from the concept phase to completion of the project, with thorough documentation.
Over 3,000 students representing nearly 100 school districts in North America and the United Kingdom took part in the 2014 program, whose main sponsor is the Council of Educational Planners International (CEFPI).
Students present their project at the CEFPI School of the Future Design Competition
SG Managing Partner, David Schrader, served as jury chair at this year’s event. “Chairing the jury affords me one of the best days of the year,” commented David. “Creating schools that inspire changes in education, empower students and engage the community, these young designers demonstrated great passion, enthusiasm, remarkable research and exceptional teamwork. Our future looks much brighter with them at the helm.”
A long-standing member of CEFPI, David presently serves as Chair-elect of the International Board of Directors for the organization. Former CEFPI posts include Chair of the International Membership Committee, Chair of the School of the Future Design Competition, and President of the Northeast Region.
To learn more about CEFPI and the School of the Future Design Competition, please visit www.cefpi.org.