Category: News
Upper Merion Area School District Welcomes Two New Elementary Schools with Excitement to Their Portfolio of Excellent Learning Environments
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) attends Upper Merion Area School District (UMASD)’s ribbon cutting for new elementary schools, Caley and Gulph.
UMASD welcomed two new elementary schools, Caley Elementary and Gulph Elementary, to their portfolio of excellent learning environments with excitement at their ribbon cutting last week.
SG is proud to be the architect for these two exciting, new elementary schools. The new schools will replace the existing Caley Elementary School and Gulph School facilities, which were originally constructed in the 1960’s and no longer accommodated the District’s enrollment or educational program.
Caley and Gulph were received by the School District and public with enthusiasm. Superintendent of Schools, Dr. John Toleno, and the District Board Member-President, Alice Hope praised the design team for “capturing what we needed for the district.” The buildings represent the culmination of a journey that started with design workshops that includes students, faculty and public conceptualizing their ultimate learning environment and culmination in these wonderful spaces for future generations to absorb knowledge.
SG is grateful for the opportunity to design learning environments with such vision. The team looks forward to continuing to support the District in its future visions.
You can take a virtual tour of the schools on the UMASD website here and also watch the ribbon cutting (Caley and Gulph.)
Read more about Caley and Gulph here.
SCHRADERGROUP Receives AIA AAJ Award for Pennsylvania State Emergency Operations Center
SCHRADERGROUP is proud to announce that their recently completed project, the New State Emergency Operations Center for Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), has been selected as a recipient for the 2018 AIA AAJ Justice Facilities Review. The project was selected for publication based on its quality of form, functionality, and current architectural response to complex justice design issues. The AIA AAJ Justice Facilities Review jury commented, “The efficiencies of co-locating multiple agencies offers positive efficiencies. The building organization favors placing day-to-day activities along the perimeter, favoring light and view for those in the facility on a daily basis.”
SG, in a joint venture with AECOM Technology Corporation (AECOM), completed the new, approximately 145,000 SF State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) serving as a home for many of the State’s emergency response functions. In addition to ensuring the supply of continuous power and communication that is necessary for the SEOC, the design team provided a building that is reinforced and secure for emergency staff. The new facility provides dedicated emergency services and disaster assistance for the state, with the ability to sustain uninterrupted operations during activations.
In addition to the SEOC, the facility provides ergonomically-designed office space for all PEMA administrative departments, as well as partner organizations and integrated functions such as the Office of the State Fire Marshal, and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Traffic Management. The complex also supports a Tier 3 data center, media briefing, training facilities, and protected storage for PEMA operations vehicles.
Design for this facility follows sustainability guidelines, as understood by the US Green Building Council’s LEED certification process. PEMA has achieved a LEED certified rating. All programming, planning and site master planning preceding the design portion of the project also was completed by SG/AECOM.
The facility was a recipient of the same Justice Facilities Review award in 2014, prior to construction. The team is honored to receive an additional award for the completed project.
See more photos of the PEMA project here.
See the AIA AAJ Justice Facilities Review page here.
SCHRADERGROUP Attends Baltimore City Public Schools’ Cherry Hill Elementary-Middle School Ribbon Cutting
Baltimore City Public School (BCPS)’s Cherry Hill Elementary-Middle School celebrates its project completion with ribbon cutting.
The Cherry Hill Elementary-Middle School was designed by SCHRADERGROUP (SG), documented by SG, GWWO and then built by JRS Architects with support from SG. Cherry Hill Elementary-Middle School is a grades 3-8 school serving the Cherry Hill community of Baltimore. The building is an incredible melding of 21st Century academic design with the original 1930’s Cherry Hill building.
The ribbon cutting was a festive event for the community with attendance by more than 400 parents and future Cherry Hill Elementary-Middle School students. The great pride for this project was reflected in speeches by dignitaries including Governor Larry Hogan and Mayor Catherine Pugh. BCPS Director summed it up best by telling the children of Cherry Hill that “the beautiful learning spaces in this building are the spaces that you deserve.”
SG is proud to have been the design architect of a building like Cherry Hill that will truly become a center of this community.
Learn more about the Cherry Hill Elementary-Middle School project here.
SCHRADERGROUP Receives an Outstanding Design Award in American School + University Magazine
SCHRADERGROUP (SG)’s Phoenixville Area Early Learning Center and Manavon Elementary School project received an Outstanding Design award from American School & University magazine in this Educational Interiors Showcase August issue.
“The nation’s school and university administrators, as well as education architects, turn to American School & University for how-to features, insight, industry exclusive reports and research on the planning, design, construction, retrofit, operations, maintenance, security and management of education facilities. AS&U’s mission is to continue serving as the voice of the industry – not just reporting events, but also helping to shape the rapidly growing and evolving education facilities and business market. AS&U delivers important insight to today’s decision makers.”
The Phoenixville Area Early Learning Center and Manavon Elementary School is located in Phoexniville Area School District in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. The building was opened in 2017 and is a source of pride for the School District.
The new 152,000 SF Early Learning Center and 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.
SG takes great pride in the partnership it has with Phoenixville Area School District to provide such innovative learning environments for the students of the community.
Read more about the PASD school here.
You can read the issue online here.
Council Rock School District takes a tour of their Newly Renovated Holland Middle School
SCHRADERGROUP’s Managing Partner, David Schrader, representation of D’Huy Engineering and Council Rock School District’s Director of Operational Services, Doug Taylor, lead a tour for the Council Rock School District (CRSD) Board members and Administrative Cabinet of the newly renovated Holland Middle School.
Holland Middle School was one of three existing middle schools in the School District that is part of a plan to consolidate the three schools into two middle schools. Holland received renovations and additions while a new middle school was constructed adjacent to the current Newtown Middle School. Newtown Middle School was demolished for other site functions. Both Holland and Newtown Middle Schools are designed to the same educational specifications and will serve as the two middle schools for the district. Holland was a challenging phased project that allowed use of the building for education.
The Holland Middle School project is an incredible transformation of the existing facility into a state of the art learning environment. Classrooms, performance grade auditorium, athletic spaces and music rooms were added. The interior of the facility was transformed into a contemporary “team” or “house” structure. Students will be amazed as they enter their “New” facility this school year.
Holland Middle School is to be ready for occupancy for the start of the 2018 school year.
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is humbled to have played a part in this amazing project initiated by the School District.
Read more about our Holland Middle School renovation project here.
SCHRADERGROUP’s Bristol Township School District Projects Featured in Sherwin William’s STIR® Magazine
SCHRADERGROUP (SG)’s Bristol Township School District (BTSD) Brookwood, Mill Creek and Keystone Elementary Schools are featured in Sherwin William’s STIR® magazine (special issue 2018.)
STIR magazine is…
“…the resource that explores the connection between color and cutting-edge design. It examines the many facets of color to help you bring a fresh perspective to your work. STIR® is a print magazine and email newsletter for design professionals.”
In the article, SG’s Managing Partner, David Schrader, describes how the finishes in these newly constructed BTSD elementary schools are used to create an environment that is brighter, lighter, exciting and stimulating to the students using them.
The spaces in these massive buildings are broken up using colors and shapes that act as wayfinding tools for the users of the building. All three schools share the same floor plan but each school has a different unique color palette of its own. The hues chosen for the schools is soft-toned to create a calming effect on children.
SG’s goal for these buildings was to create an inviting and beautiful environment that the District and its children are proud of—and the reception of these learning environments has been extremely positive.
Learn more about the Bristol Township School District Elementary Schools here.
You can read this whole magazine issue on the web here.
SCHRADERGROUP Welcomes Our Newest Architectural Designer!
SCHRADERGROUP welcomes our newest Architectural Designer, Paige Geldrich, Associate AIA, LEED Green Associate!
Ms. Geldrich is a Pennsylvania State University graduate. For her senior thesis, she investigated concepts for high school design to encompass 21st Century Learning. The thesis focused on the development of learning environments to support creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration skills so essential to prepare in a student for the future.
Ms. Geldrich began her time with SG as a summer intern and now is one of SG’s architectural Designers. She will focus her efforts on academic design to follow these critical skills she investigated in her thesis. Coordinating with our Project Managers and Project Architects, Ms. Geldrich will collaborate with consultants and owners as part of the SG team.
SCHRADERGROUP Architect attends Hatboro-Horsham High School’s Statistic Fair
As each school year winds down, the Advanced Placement Statistics course at Hatboro-Horsham High School hosts an event in June to evaluate the students final statistics project. SCHRADERGROUP’s Danielle Hoffer, Senior Project Manager for the Architectural firm designing the new Crooked Billet Elementary School for the School District, was invited to participate as a Guest Evaluator.
Over 40 student-teams shared their projects and findings at the fair which is modeled after science fairs, where students share exhibits and take questions from those who attend in a casual environment. The students are given the task of explaining their project quickly and effectively, keeping in mind the audience may have limited statistical knowledge.
At SCHRADERGROUP, we continue to support our communities in our schools—especially where we can help to promote science, technology, engineering and math!
Check out HHSD’s video on their Statistics Fair here.
SCHRADERGROUP Architect Volunteers with Vetri Cooking Lab
SCHRADERGROUP’s Project Architect, Kelly Ryan, AIA, volunteered her time with Vetri Community Partnership (VCP): Vetri Cooking Lab.
Vetri Cooking Lab is an after-school time program that combines cooking, nutrition education and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) core concepts.
This 10-week curriculum-based program engages 4th through 6th–grade students, using recipes to teach important nutrition lessons (like whole vs. processed foods), the importance of breakfast, reading nutrition labels, added sugar, food marketing and more.
Below we asked Kelly why she did the Cooking Lab and what her experience with VCP and the kids she mentored was like.
The kids drew a portrait of Ms. Kelly
SG: How did you find this program?
Kelly: I learned about this program from a neighbor who works for VCP.
SG: Is this your first time volunteering with them?
Kelly: Yes, this was my first semester with VCP, but I plan to continue in the future.
SG: What made you want to do this program? Did you have any programs with mentors or volunteers that inspired you to do this?
Kelly: My architectural thesis centered on creating a network of localized food growers and community education centers to alleviate urban food deserts. At the time of my research, over 2/3 of Americans were overweight or obese and one cause was attributed to limited access to fresh, healthy foods. Programs like Vetri Cooking Lab provide hands on nutrition education and culinary skills to equip children with the knowledge and ability and create healthy habits. I wanted to be a part of VCP’s “Eat. Educate. Empower.” slogan.
SG: What do you think you offered to the kids in the program? Did they offer you anything? (knowledge or experience wise)
Kelly: Outside of teaching them basic kitchen skills, I hope I offered myself as a confident, female role model and an open ear to listen to their daily successes and concerns. It was rewarding to see the kids build their skill sets from class to class, like watching them cut an onion week 1 vs. week 10, and discover the thrill of using an immersion blender. Our Tuesday class was always a Top 10 highlight to my week.
SG: Are there any programs that you are interested in getting involved with in the future?
Kelly: I plan to continue volunteering with Vetri Cooking Lab in the future!
At SCHRADERGROUP, our purpose to give back to the community is our genuine focus in all of our work–inside the office and out.
Read more about VCP and get involved here.