Category: Awards
PennDOT District 6-0 Regional Traffic Management Center Recognized for 2024 ACEC/PA Diamond Award
The American Council of Engineering Companies of Pennsylvania (ACEC/PA) awarded PennDOT District 6-0’s Regional Traffic Management Center (RTMC) a Diamond Award in the Building/Technology Systems category. SCHRADERGROUP (SG) supported the team leader, Heim Construction, along with technology and engineering partners Jacobs and Bala Consulting Engineers. Completed in 2023, the new RTMC is a centralized traffic management hub in Upper Merion Township for PennDOT employees to monitor and safeguard traffic conditions throughout the greater Philadelphia region. The Diamond Award occurs annually and honors engineering firms that create highly innovative and efficient buildings. SG would like to extend our congratulations to the engineers and the entire design-build team.
Click here to see the project.
SCHRADERGROUP Ranks in Building Design + Construction’s Top 150 Local Government Building Sector
Recently, Building Design + Construction (BD+C) published their Top 150 Local Government Building Sector firms in their Giants 400 Building Report. The Top 150 Local Government Building Sector highlights the largest government building architecture and engineering (A/E) firms throughout the nation and SCHRADERGROUP (SG) came in at number 108 in 2023.
SG is honored to receive this notoriety alongside other top A/E firms. Each recognition motivates us to continue to help our clients achieve excellent results.
Learn more about SG’s projects by clicking here.
SCHRADERGROUP Wishes You a Happy 2024!
In 2023, SCHRADERGROUP achieved numerous milestones, both as a group and with our clients. We’ve grown as a team, started and completed multiple projects, and become even more involved within our professional and personal communities. SCHRADERGROUP cannot succeed without the support of our friends, family, and clients, who drive us to create responsive, innovative, and sustainable projects.
SCHRADERGROUP extends our sincere gratitude to everyone for their support and partnership in 2023. We are excited about what 2024 holds, but first, we’d like to take a look back at the successes of 2023.
Check out SCHRADERGROUP’s year in review!
We’ve seen many great projects in 2023, from groundbreaking events to ribbon-cuttings! Below are a handful of the many projects we have created and contributed to this year.
Groundbreaking ceremonies are the perfect way to commemorate the first step in constructing new buildings. West Whiteland Township broke ground for its public works facility that will better serve the community. Reading School District also hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for its new STEM Academy. The school is designed to alleviate overcrowding and is set to open in August of 2025. Our most recent groundbreaking was for Phoenixville Area School District’s new elementary school in East Pikeland Township. The facility will house 700 students from grades 2-6, making it the first new elementary school in East Pikeland Township in decades.
Construction follows groundbreaking, and many of our projects have seen tremendous progress in 2023. Keith Valley Middle School has risen from the ground, with steel framework reaching new heights. West View Elementary School celebrated a topping-off milestone as the construction team installed the final steel beam on the school, signed by various community and faculty members. Great Valley School District also saw significant progress on its new 5/6 Center.
Ribbon-cutting ceremonies often celebrate the completion of construction projects. In March of this year, Ben Franklin Middle School opened its doors to students and faculty of the Bristol Township School District. SCHRADERGROUP attended the Franklin County 911 Communication Center’s ribbon-cutting in North Carolina to celebrate the new facility. Also in North Carolina, Chatham County held a ribbon-cutting for the new Emergency Operations Center in Pittsboro.
Hazleton Area School District honored three new construction projects: the Hazleton Area Academy, the Cyber Academy, and the Arts and Humanities Academy. These academies will provide additional opportunities for Hazleton students. The Athletic Community Center in the Governor Mifflin School District was the site of a ribbon-cutting event that many attended. While the School District of Philadelphia’s Anne Frank School addition and renovations project was technically completed in 2022 SCHRADERGROUP recently had professional photos taken, showcasing the beauty and innovation of the updates.
2023 presented many opportunities for SCHRADERGROUP to get involved in the
community. From conferences to social events, we were reminded of the driving force behind our success: clients and community. Below is a recap of some of the events we attended this past year.
SCHRADERGROUP had the opportunity to attend and present at several conferences, including the A4LE Northeast Regional Conference where we were honored to present our Upper Merion Area High School project. We presented the same project at EdSpaces in Portland, Oregon. We also had the opportunity to showcase the Community College of Philadelphia’s new Career and Technology Center at the SCUP Regional Conference held in Philadelphia.
SCHRADERGROUP attended the 2023 Summit for Educational Leaders, the PASBO
Facilities, Transportation, and Safety Conference, the PASA PSBA School Leadership Conference, the DVASBO 4-County Business Manager Conference, and the A4LE LearningSCAPES Conference. On the Public Safety side, we exhibited at the 2023 IACP Conference in San Diego, CA.
We participate in many alumni and college events, including Career Fairs. We were fortunate to send SCHRADERGROUP members to several of their alma mater career fairs to recruit new faces. We strongly believe in mentorship, so we are always eager to onboard new interns from those events.
SCHRADERGROUP has received many honors throughout the year. Learning by Design featured the Upper Merion Area High School project on the cover of the Spring 2023 issue. Learning by Design’s Fall 2023 Awards of Excellence magazine named Keith Valley Middle School an Outstanding Project.
March of Dimes awarded PennDOT’s Regional Traffic Management Center its Alternative Delivery Project of the Year for its exceptional, unified flow during the design and construction process. The project also won an award from the Associated Builders and Contractors Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter for the Excellence in Construction awards with Heim Construction. We at SCHRADERGROUP are grateful to have received this notoriety and support from the community that motivates us to keep creating highly respected projects.
Building Design + Construction also ranked their Giants 400, where SCHRADERGROUP ranked in several categories, including Top Architecture Engineering Firms. Toward the end of the year, AIA Pennsylvania recognized SCHRADERGROUP as an EPiC firm for the second year in a row, highlighting firms that strive to support emerging professionals. We sincerely thank these organizations for their recognition throughout this year.
SCHRADERGROUP has seen tremendous growth this year. We have welcomed many new faces and officially opened a larger regional office in Pittsburgh, PA. New members of the SG team include:
David Long, Project Architect
Kate McKenna, Architectural Designer
Craig Lucas, Project Architect
Colleen Deluca, Senior Interior Designer
Wiley Muck, Architectural Designer
Samantha Yaros, Architectural Designer
Sabrina Gonzalez, Interior Designer
Caitlyn Keomanyvong, Marketing Assistant
Thomas Wippenbeck, Regional Manager (Pittsburgh)
Doug Perry, Project Manager
Matt Wittemann, Principal of Sales and Marketing
Lauren Wilke, Marketing and Proposal Coordinator
Additionally, we have recognized and promoted several individuals based on their hard work and dedication. They include:
Harry Pettoni, Partner
Tom Forsberg, Partner
Devin Bradbury, Principal
Charlotte Stoudt, Associate
Eric Weiss, Associate
During the summer months, we worked alongside committed interns participating in our mentorship program. They included:
Wiley Muck, Temple University
Isaac Buxton, Philadelphia University
Allyson Everlof, Pennsylvania State University
Josh Pontell, Pennsylvania State University
Gianna DeLorenzo, Thomas Jefferson University
This past year has been great for us, our clients, and the community at large. We are very optimistic about 2024. SCHRADERGROUP is excited about a number of our projects, both in design and under construction. The new year will bring more conferences, fundraisers, and community events, providing opportunities to connect with our clients, friends, and colleagues. 2024 will bring even more internal expansion to SCHRADERGROUP through new hires. SCHRADERGROUP will continue to foster the relationships we have built over the years with our friends, families, clients, and colleagues. We could not do what we do without everyone’s support!
Have a safe, happy, and healthy 2024!
From all of us at:
SCHRADERGROUP’S PennDOT Project Wins ABC’s Excellence in Construction Award
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) hosted their annual Excellence in Construction (EIC) awards ceremony, recognizing members for their dedication to producing high-quality facilities to better serve the public. During the Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter’s thirty-third gala, SCHRADERGROUP (SG) won the EIC award for our PennDOT Regional Traffic Management Center (RTMC) and parking structure in Upper Merion Township.
SG, with Heim Construction, designed and built the RTMC to function as efficiently and safely as possible, providing innovative technology to monitor, manage, and improve the flow of traffic throughout Philadelphia. The hard-working public safety team stationed in this facility protects and improves the lives of many, and we are proud to contribute to their efforts. We are grateful to have won this award for this project and will continue to serve the community with efficient, state-of-the-art buildings.
ABC’s Excellence in Construction award honors the region’s most inventive and well-constructed buildings. The awards gala celebrated top designers and builders throughout Eastern PA who deliver work to better local communities, with an emphasis on public safety, cost-effectiveness, and ethics. SG is honored to receive this recognition.
To see more of our public safety projects, click here.
SCHRADERGROUP Places in Five Building Design + Construction Giants 400 Rankings
Every year, Building Design + Construction (BD+C), a prestigious publication for the design and construction community, ranks the top design and construction firms nationally in its Giants 400 Building Sector Report. In the September/October issue, BD+C recognized SCHRADERGROUP (SG) in the Top Architecture Engineering, K-12, Sports, Government, and Justice Facility Architect categories. BD+C analyzes the firms based on total revenue and volume specific to the category.
In the Top Architecture Engineering firms, SG ranked 103 nationwide. The ranking highlights nonresidential building and multifamily housing work. SG is honored to receive this recognition alongside the other top firms in the nation.
In the K-12 Schools ranking, SG placed 55 nationally and in the Sports Facility ranking, SG placed 50. For the Government Building sector, SG ranked 146. The Top Justice Facility Architects category showcases firms that build exceptional public safety and justice facilities. In this category, SG ranked 57. We are grateful to have earned this recognition and are motivated to continue helping our clients produce excellent work.
In addition to the categorical rankings, BD+C published an article on public spending in which SG’s PennDOT Regional Traffic Management Center and parking structure project located in Upper Merion Township was featured. This facility achieved a LEED Silver rating for its sustainable and efficient design while providing crucial transportation management and operations in the greater Philadelphia region.
BD+C is a media platform dedicated to sharing the latest news about design and construction processes in the commercial, institutional, industrial, and multifamily building industry.
Learn more about SG’s projects here.
Keith Valley Middle School Recognized as an Outstanding Project in Learning By Design’s Fall 2023 Awards of Excellence Magazine
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is proud to announce that our ongoing project, Hatboro-Horsham School District’s Keith Valley Middle School, has been recognized as an Outstanding Project in Learning By Design’s Fall 2023 Awards of Excellence magazine.
Learning By Design is a prestigious publication that recognizes outstanding educational design and construction projects. They evaluate facilities based on innovation, community needs, interior design, sustainability, functional design, and next-generation learning. Published three times a year, the magazine showcases top K-12 and higher education projects and architecture firms.
Keith Valley Middle School is a three-story educational building that accommodates students from grades 6 to 8, featuring flexible learning studios, small group instruction areas, and larger learning commons for student gathering and project-based instruction.
The new facility will prioritize flexibility and connectivity within the school and community, fostering hands-on and multimodal learning approaches to inspire and engage students. A central learning resource area connects the educational areas to the shared public spaces, which include the dining commons, auditorium, and library.
You can view the Fall 2023 issue of Learning By Design here. You can find Keith Valley Middle School on page 94!
To learn more about Keith Valley Middle School, please click here.
SCHRADERGROUP Recognized as an EPiC Firm by AIA Pennsylvania for the Second Year!
SCHRADERGROUP Recognized as an EPiC Firm by AIA Pennsylvania for the Second Year!
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is proud to announce that the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has recognized our firm for the second year in a row, as we continue to support the development of emerging professionals in 2023.
The AIA Pennsylvania Emerging Professionals Committee (EPiC) was established to improve the network, role, and impact of Emerging Professionals throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The committee distinguished SG for successfully supporting the emerging professionals on our staff and for demonstrating a commitment to the development of Pennsylvania’s emerging professionals.
We would like to thank the Pennsylvania AIA chapter, and we are honored to be included on this list of esteemed firms.
To learn more about joining SCHRADERGROUP click here.
PennDOT Southeastern Regional Traffic Management Center and Parking Garage recognized as Alternative Delivery Project of the Year (2022)
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is proud to announce that the PennDOT District 6 Regional Traffic Management Center (RTMC), for which we served as the design team with design-builder Heim Construction, was recognized by March of Dimes as the Alternative Delivery Project of the year! The award was received by Louis Belmonte, on behalf of PennDOT District 6.
The Alternative Delivery Project of the Year Award recognizes exceptional projects that have been executed using alternative project delivery methods. In the case of the RTMC project, DGS and PennDOT agreed to use the Design-Build delivery method to economize on schedule, budget, and process. The award acknowledges this and highlights projects that have successfully implemented these alternative delivery methods while achieving outstanding results in terms of design, construction, cost management, and overall project success.
Photography by Todd Mason
The PennDOT District 6 Project is a 24/7 regional traffic management center (RTMC) that uses Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) to help manage and monitor traffic patterns as well as to improve the flow of traffic throughout the Philadelphia region. The new RTMC is an impressive and modern facility designed to prioritize safety and to improve traffic flows by using state-of-the-art technology, including advanced traffic management systems, ITS, and a network of cameras and sensors. The RTMC has been constructed to help leverage these technologies as the region’s roadway network is modified and improved in coming years.
Within the RTMC facility, there are dedicated staff members assigned to monitor live camera feeds as well as electronic traffic sensors, ensuring the accurate and timely reporting of crucial information to emergency services, local transportation agencies, and law enforcement. User amenities abound in the facility as next generation communication and control centers begin to reflect the ergonomic needs of the users who work long hours to protect the region’s drivers.
SCHRADERGROUP is proud to have been part of the Heim design-build team to develop this incredible project for PennDOT, DGS and for the region’s drivers.
To see more of our public safety projects, click here.
Congratulations to Upper Merion Area High School for gracing the front cover of Learning By Design’s Spring 2023 issue.
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is proud to once again announce that our completed project, Upper Merion Area School District’s Upper Merion Area High School, has been recognized as an Outstanding Project in Learning By Design’s Spring 2023 Educational Facilities Design Awards. We are excited to have another SG project recognized as an award-winning facility for its Next Generation Learning space design and planning.
Learning By Design is a prestigious publication that recognizes outstanding educational design and construction projects. They evaluate facilities based on innovation, community needs, interior design, sustainability, functional design, and next-generation learning. Published three times a year, the magazine showcases top K-12 and higher education projects and architecture firms.
We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to collaborate with Upper Merion Area School District (UMASD) and showcase their exceptional facility in this issue. Our ongoing relationship with this remarkable School District, which prioritizes providing cutting-edge education and facilities to the community’s students, is something we are grateful for.
The purpose of this facility is to offer UMASD students’ career-oriented and higher education-level spaces where they can actively participate in 21st-century learning activities focused on “research, develop, and present!” We extensively researched and incorporated multiple contemporary higher education spaces into the development of this distinctive facility.
The 345,000 SF facility seamlessly integrates with the existing middle school, connecting through athletic and performance arts components. This expanded facility offers enriching opportunities for students spanning from 6th grade to 12th grade.
The facility includes a central “student commons,” serving as a versatile space for various activities throughout the day. It features a two-story open area with learning resources on the second level, alongside dining options.
You can view the Spring 2023 issue of Learning By Design here. You can find the Upper Merion Area High School entry on page 86!
If you’d like to learn even more about the Upper Merion Area High School, click here.
Upper Merion Area School District’s Upper Merion Area High School Recognized as an Outstanding Project in American School & University’s Fall 2022 Architectural Portfolio
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is proud to announce that our recently completed project, Upper Merion Area School District’s new Upper Merion Area High School, has received an Outstanding Project Award from American School & University for its Fall 2022 Architectural Portfolio.
SG is excited to have another project featured in this prestigious publication. We have thoroughly enjoyed working with Upper Merion Area School District (UMASD) and are honored to have this excellent school featured in this issue.
American School and University (AS&U) is a magazine dedicated to the planning, design, construction, retrofit, operations, maintenance, and management of education facilities. It is intended to showcase the latest trends, technologies, and strategies driving educational facilities and the market.
AS&U honors educational design projects each year through multiple design competitions. One of these competitions is the Architectural Portfolio, the premier showcase celebrating the best in education design.
After a complete community-engaged master planning process and subsequent successful new elementary school projects, Upper Merion Area School District (UMASD) began the process of creating a flagship facility to house the upper secondary programs for the District. A thorough process was utilized, including multiple user meetings and tours of state-of-the-art facilities throughout the United States.
The intent behind the facility is to provide career and higher education level spaces for the students of UMASD to engage in the 21st-century learning activities of “research, develop, and present!” Multiple hi-tech industry workspaces as well as contemporary higher education spaces were studied in the process of the development of this unique facility.
The 345,000 SF facility is connected to the existing middle school through the athletic and performing arts facilities to provide a full secondary campus. The resulting facility provides enriching opportunities for students from the traditional 6th-grade through 12th-grade ages.
A true “student commons” is the heart of the facility and will be an “all-day” area for multiple activities. The commons is a two-story open space with learning resources located on the second level to enhance the research and project-based components mixed with dining and food-based opportunities on the ground floor. After hours, the “commons” space will provide pre- and post-activity support for both the athletic as well as the performing arts complexes. A full competition gymnasium and competition swimming venue is the connector to the middle school. The performing arts complex provides a complete 650-seat theater with a balcony and all supporting performing arts spaces.
Student services, technology distribution, and support spaces are located between the commons space and the academic area. A three-story academic wing supports the core academic programs with a STEAM-based center, multiple project and team-based spaces, and a three-story learning stair. The learning stair connects all core programs vertically to enhance the cross-pollination of learning activities. Transparency is a key aspect of the facility’s design and is utilized to promote the visual connection between each of the learning activities.
The new facility was constructed while the existing high school on site was still occupied. The existing facility is currently being demolished, and new playing fields will be constructed in its place.
A unique site feature is an underground stream bisecting the site. The project chooses to highlight that challenge by exposing the stream at its outfall within a new outdoor amphitheater and teaching area. This outdoor space enhances internal building program opportunities by connecting them to the exterior. The stream provides for science-based learning activities directly on campus. The new facility allows the students of UMASD to have tremendous additional learning opportunities.
You can view our entry in the Fall 2022 Architectural Portfolio issue of American School & University on page 73 here.
Learn more about the Upper Merion Area High School here.
SG is proud to have partnered with Upper Merion Area School District. Learn more about this great school district here.
