Category: Awards
SCHRADERGROUP Outstanding Project Award and Article in Learning by Design 2018 Spring Issue
Learning by Design is a resourceful magazine showcasing outstanding academic design that highlights academic innovation.
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is featured in this Spring’s issue with an Outstanding Project Award, for the Phoenixville Area Early Learning Center and Manavon Elementary School. This issue also contains an article by the firm’s founding partner, David Schrader.
The new 152,000 SF Phoenixville Area Early Learning Center and Manavon Elementary School 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. The building design promotes essentially every space in the facility as learning space. In addition to providing specific spaces for individual, small-, medium- and large-group learning, spaces traditionally used as corridors or hallways are designed to function as connectors and additional learning spaces. Learning spaces are divided with folding glass partitions to provide transparency and flexibility.
In Mr. Schrader’s article, Changing the Face of Education, he reflects on the passion and purpose of the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) and their global mission to enhance “the learning environment for all children.” He also highlights the organization’s optimistic focus on the future for academic planning and design.
You can read more about our Phoenixville Area Early Learning Center and Manavon Elementary School here on its project page and Learning by Design’s award galley here.
SCHRADERGROUP Managing Partner Awarded Fellowship Recognition from the Association for Learning Environments
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is proud to announce that our Managing Partner, David Schrader, was awarded recognition as Fellow of the Association for Learning Environments for 2017. David has been serving as a board member for A4LE since 2013 and finished serving his role as Chairman of the International Board at the annual conference held in Atlanta, Georgia, in October.
The Association for Learning Environments (formerly CEFPI) is a professional 501 (c)(3) non-profit association whose sole mission is improving the places where children learn. Learn more about the Association here and also see other A4LE Fellow Award Recipients Here.
The Association for Learning Environments Fellow designation is bestowed on individuals who have consistently contributed to the association in the highest manner possible. A Fellow is the most respected member of the Association’s community. They represent the mark of excellence in the industry in which they serve and are recognized as those that have advanced the association and its mission.
SCHRADERGROUP earns a Citation for Work in Progress from the American School & University Magazine
“Massing and building materials are contextual and add warmth, texture and scale. Interior materials look handsome and durable.”— 2017 jury
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is proud to have earned a Citation for Work in Progress from the American School & University magazine for our Early Learning Center in Oreland, PA.
American School & University is a resource for industry insight, planning, design and the construction of education facilities for the nation’s school and university administrators.
You can see the news release on the American School & University website, the article here and the citation here and read more about the School District of Springfield Township’s new Early Learning Center.
SCHRADERGROUP is Ranked Nationally in Building Design + Construction Magazine’s 2017 Giant 300 Report Issue!
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is excited to be ranked #46 in Building Design + Construction Magazine’s Top 90 K-12 Architecture Firms and is also ranked #22 in the Top 25 Data Center Architecture Firms (Nationally) in their 2017 Giants 300 Report issue. Building Design + Construction Magazine is an award winning magazine that provides the daily news, trends and more for Architects, Engineers, and Contractors.
Building Design + Construction’s Top 90 K-12 Architecture Firm article can be found here.
The Top 25 Data Center Architecture Firm ranking can be found here.
The whole magazine issue can be found here.
SCHRADERGROUP Earns an Outstanding Project Award for the Learning by Design 2017 Fall Awards of Excellence Issue
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is excited to announce that the Upper Merion Area School District School, Gulph Elementary School, was chosen for an Outstanding Project Award in the Fall Awards of Excellence issue of Learning by Design.
SG developed designs for two new elementary schools in the Upper Merion Area School District. The new schools will replace the existing Caley Elementary School and Gulph Elementary School facilities, which were originally constructed in the 1960’s and no longer accommodate the District’s enrollment or educational program.
The proposed school programs encompass 83,279 SF and 95,538 SF respectively, and, in the interest of parity between the two buildings and their respective student populations, each will include a prototypical wing that houses the kindergarten learning node, dining area, gym, stage, music department, support spaces, and administration offices. Due to the complex site boundary and grade conditions present at the Gulph Road location, site specific design responses were developed for the classroom wings.
Classrooms wings are structured as groupings of grade appropriate classrooms with learning support, faculty spaces and team work areas. Each set of grade clusters is then oriented around the two-story open Learning Resource and STEAM Center. The classroom clusters connect to the Learning Resource Center through a grand Learning Stair which doubles as a mini auditorium space for the building.
Following an extensive Master Planning process lead by SG, the design team developed a series of programming and design workshops that included members from the school community, the community at large and current students.
The issue of Learning by Design (linked here) is available October 1, 2017 and check out the article on Gulph Elementary School (linked here) that received the Outstanding Project Award.
Mill Creek ES Selected as Outstanding Design
Mill Creek Elementary School, Levittown, Pennsylvania has been selected to appear as an Outstanding Design in the 2017 American School & University Educational Interiors Showcase, the premier competition honoring education interiors excellence.
Elementary School Named Outstanding Design in LEARNING BY DESIGN Spring 2017
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is pleased to have Caley Elementary School named an Outstanding Design in the spring 2017 LEARNING BY DESIGN, the premier source for education design innovation and excellence. Caley Elementary School is one of two sister schools simultaneously designed by SG for the Upper Merion Area School District in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Constructed in the 1960s and no longer able to accommodate the District’s enrollment or educational program, two existing facilities will be replaced by the new sister schools, which will serve 525 K-4 students each.
As part of the project selection process, LEARNING BY DESIGN judged Caley Elementary School on six criteria: Innovation, Community Need, Interior Design, Sustainability, Functional Design, and 21st Century Learning. Jury comments about the project included:
“Project is simply expressed and frankly executed. Light and bright interiors with transparency for visual connections as well as interior day lighting. Classrooms have interior spaces differentiated to support small group and whole group instruction.”
To learn more about this project, please visit www.learningbydesign.biz or our website.
SCHRADERGROUP Mill Creek Elementary School Receives Award from A4LE, Association for Learning Environments
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is honored to receive a Project of Distinction award for our design of Mill Creek Elementary School from the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) Northeast Region. The Northeast Regional Planning and Design Awards are held annually and judge entries based on their merits regarding community, learning and physical environments as well as the planning process for the project.
Mill Creek Elementary School, part of the Bristol Township School District in Levittown, Pennsylvania, is one of three sister schools designed and constructed by SG. The District, based on recommendations of a District-wide study completed by SG, elected to replace nine outdated and aging elementary schools with three new facilities, which include Mill Creek. In addition to the award bestowed by A4LE, the Elementary School designs also have been recognized as Outstanding Designs in two American School & University publications: Architectural Portfolio and Educational Interiors Showcase.
To learn more about this project, please visit our website.
Elementary School Project Featured as Outstanding Design in Architectural Portfolio
Brookwood Elementary School, featured previously this year in American School & University Educational Interiors Showcase and Learning by Design, additionally has been selected for publication in American School & University 2016 Architectural Portfolio. The project is featured in the November 2016 edition of the magazine and also online at www.SchoolDesigns.com. An annual competition honoring education design excellence, the Architectural Portfolio spotlights projects representing today’s most effective learning environments.
To determine citation winners and other outstanding designs, this year’s jury decided upon the following criteria: integration of technology, engaging landscapes, regional vernacularism, project-based learning, user-specific designs, sensitivity to context, accessibility, quality, diversity, inclusivity, living/learning communities, experiential learning, cohesive design concept, and environments that are evocative and inspirational.
SCHRADERGROUP Attends Ribbon Cutting of New Pennsylvania State Emergency Operations Center
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) team members were proud to attend the ribbon cutting of the 145,000 SF State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) recently completed by SG in a joint venture with AECOM. Presenters and ribbon cutters included Lt. Governor Michael Stack; Honorable Curt Topper of the Pennsylvania Department of General Services; Honorable Richard D. Flinn, Jr. Director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA); Jeffrey Thomas, Executive Deputy Director, PEMA; and the Honorable Timothy Solobay, State Fire Commissioner.
