Category: Uncategorized
SCHRADERGROUP to Attend Virtual 2021 PASBO Conference
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) will be attending the 66th Annual Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials (PASBO) Conference on March 17th, 19th, 23rd and 25th this month! SG team members will be at the SCHRADERGROUP Virtual Booth from 10am – 1pm on Wednesday the 17th, Friday the 19th, and Tuesday the 23rd, as well as from 10am-noon on Thursday the 25th. We welcome you to stop by and meet the team!
SG is proud to be a Gold Level Sponsor of this prestigious event devoted to the common goal of supporting classroom learning in school through smart business practices. Each year, PASBO provides an opportunity for school business officials to listen to keynote speaker presentations and attend information workshops that provide members with the opportunity to network with their peers. PASBO provides its members with the education, training, and professional development, as well as the timely access to legislative and policy news, needed in order to support this goal of developing and supporting leaders in school business operations.
Although the event is virtual this year, the SG team looks forward to seeing some familiar faces and meeting some new ones! Come visit us at our booth!
Learn more about registering for the PASBO conference here.
Learn more about SCHRADERGROUP’s dedication to educational facilities here.
School District of Springfield Township’s New Enfield K-2 Early Learning Center Opening this Fall
The School District of Springfield Township’s (SDST) Enfield K-2 Early Learning Center opens this Fall with great enthusiasm. The completion of the school is the culmination of years of planning, community input and teamwork to design a building that fosters early learning for district’s youngest students.
The new 105,000 square foot K-2 Early Learning Center (ELC) will serve as a replacement school for the K-1 Primary Center and will pull one grade out of the 2-5 elementary school to provide additional educational space. The reconfigured K-2/3-5 grade structure provided the district with new opportunities to tailor instruction to targeted age groupings.
The educational vision to enhance the learning experience through a student-centered, project-based learning approach to instruction laid the foundation for planning. As a result of a community workshop process, the hierarchy of space design and site planning spawned from the input of the group. The site access points, vehicular and bus circulation and parking, the adjacencies of the public spaces (multipurpose room/gymnasium and cafeteria) to the instructional areas, and how classroom wings of the building embrace the central outdoor learning courtyard (representative of the building ‘hugging’ the children) are all results of the community input received.
The main building entrance adjacent to the administration area anchors the interior street connection which provides access the gymnasium with stage and cafeteria. The street leads to the central core of the building featuring the learning resource center and STE(A)M programs and the educational focal point of the building, the learning stair. The educational areas can be secured to allow the use of the public spaces for community events after school hours.
Educationally, the space design of the new school supports a variety of instructional and learning opportunities. To create a sense of community for this younger age group within the context of the larger school, smaller learning communities were designed for each grade grouping. Each grade level wing branches out from the central core of the building and is supported by a large group instruction area to support collaborative activities for either single or multiple classroom instruction. Every two general classrooms share a small group instruction room facilitating individualized instruction. Classroom instruction and small and large-group spaces support project-based and personalized learning opportunities, differentiated instruction, the integration of technologies and STE[A]M experiences, and social and emotional learning experiences for all students.
Thank you to all that contributed to the design and construction of the new Enfield K-2 Early Learning Center. SCHRADERGROUP is grateful for this opportunity to create unique learning environments that correlate to SDST’s educational vision.
Learn more about the new Enfield K-2 Early Learning Center project here.
SCHRADERGROUP Ranks #96 on ENR Mid-Atlantic’s Top Design Firms 2020 List
SCHRADERGROUP ranks #96 on Engineering News-Record (ENR) Mid-Atlantic’s Top Design Firms list of 2020. This list ranks the largest Mid-Atlantic-based design firms, both publicly and privately held, based on design revenue. SCHRADERGROUP is proud to note that the firm’s ranking moved from #100 in 2019 to #96 for this year.
The SCHRADERGROUP team recognizes that we share this tremendous success with our clients and our partners. The team is humbled by the continued dedication of those same clients to their projects even during these challenging times. We thank our clients and look forward to a bright future filled with creating improved environments for living, learning, working and recreating.
View ENR Mid-Atlantic’s Top Design Firms 2020 List here.
Official Presentation of LEED Gold Plaques for Council Rock School District’s Holland & Newtown Middle School
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) recently celebrated with the Council Rock School District (CRSD), D’Huy Engineering and Breslin Ridyard Fadero Architects as the LEED Gold certificates were presented to CRSD for the Holland Middle School and Newtown Middle School projects. These two incredible projects were awarded the prestigious LEED Gold certification in August of 2019 and the certificates were issued following that award. The event took place at CRSD’s Chancellor Center in Newtown, Pennsylvania on January 23, 2020.
The entire team was fortunate to be linked in this combined effort. The CRSD elected to design the renovations and additions at Holland Middle School and the new construction at Newtown Middle School at the same time in order to create a level of educational parity within the two facilities.
SCHRADERGROUP was responsible for the Holland Middle School project and Breslin Ridyard Fadero was responsible for the Newtown Middle School project. The two teams worked in tandem to design these facilities to feel similar inside even though one was renovation/addition and one was new construction. D’Huy Engineering worked with the CRSD to secure an ACE grant for each project which required LEED Gold Certification. The resulting certification and the grants provided the district with additional levels of sustainability within the two facilities. It will also provide more environmentally efficient and ergonomic environments for the students of the CRSD to learn in the future.
The SG team would like to thank the tremendous effort of CRSD’s Board and Administration and the entire design and construction team for allowing these amazing projects to take place. SG is proud to have had the opportunity to partner with the Council Rock School District, D’Huy Engineering and Breslin Ridyard Fadero Architects to create these LEED Gold certified learning environments.
Learn more about the CRSD Holland Middle School project here.
Check out more of SG’s sustainable academic facilities here.
Recapping 2019: SCHRADERGROUP’s 15th Year
2019 has been a year full of growth, commitment and achievement. Team members of SCHRADERGROUP (SG) feel fortunate for all the opportunities and adventures that we’ve had over the past year. The SG team would like to reflect on 2019 as the decade comes to an end.
The SCHRADERGROUP Team
2019 marks SCHRADERGROUP’s fifteenth anniversary. SG was established on April 15, 2004. In 2019 we celebrated 15 years of sharing our vision of designing for tomorrow’s workers, thinkers, and leaders. As SG continues to grow, we honor our beginnings and those who have helped shape us into what we’ve become today.
SG welcomed seven new employees to the team. This year we welcomed Project Architect, Mark Adamiak, Marketing Associate, Samantha Greim, Senior Designer, Bill Cox, and Interior Designer, Kayla McCoy. Architectural Designers, Tyler Corbley, Christopher Farmer and most recently we welcomed a new public safety market segment leader.
Community Engagement
SCHRADERGROUP celebrated project completions by attending several ribbon-cutting ceremonies:
Martin County’s ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the new 9-1-1 Regional Communication Center.
Council Rock School District’s ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate Wrightstown Elementary School’s new state of the art renovations and additions.
Palmyra Area School District’s Dedication Ceremony for the completion of Forge Road Elementary and Palmyra Area Middle School’s energy-efficient renovations.
Circle of Seasons Charter School Dedication Ceremony to celebrate the school’s new renovations.
SG accomplished goals of exercising our mission outside of the classroom by attending the following events:
The SG team is proud to continue to contribute to an opportunity for Hatboro-Horsham School District (HHSD) students to explore diverse career paths by participating in the “When I Grow Up” K-12 Career Expo 2019.
SG had a fun evening at HHSD’s Hatter’s Hold ‘Em Casino Night to aid in providing programs and learning grants to the HHSD students.
SG’s Project Architect, Jeremy Ross, AIA, taught Springfield High School students through the ACE of Greater Philadelphia Mentoring program.
SG had the opportunity to partner with the Upper Merion Area School District Administration to give doctoral candidates of Saint Joseph University’s Education Doctoral Program a tour of Gulph Elementary School.
The SG team enjoyed connecting with future architects and designers at PSU’s Stuckeman School’s Career Day—an event at which our attendance can always be counted on.
Additionally, we participated in PSU’s Stuckeman School Professional Opportunities Week, CRSD North Hills Elementary School’s Career Day, PSU’s Annual Alumni Reception, AIA/SMPS Marketing Workshop and many more…
Conferences and Events
The SG team attended annual events and exhibited at many conferences to keep up with changing industry trends and news. We participated in:
Delaware Valley Association of School Business Officials (DVASBO) Trade Show held at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA.
Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials (PASBO) Annual Conference in Hershey, PA.
National School Boards Association (NSBA) Annual Conference in Philadelphia, PA.Awards and Recognitions
With tremendous support from our clients and the design community, we’re proud to announce awards and recognition that our projects have earned over the past year.
The 2019 Building Design + Construction (BD+C)’s 2019 Giants 300 Report, ranked SCHRADERGROUP:
#50 of the Top 140 K-12 School Sector Architects
#96 of the Top 150 Architecture and Engineering firms.
More than 485 U.S.-based architecture, engineering, and construction firms participated in the 2019 Giants 300 report. Check out the rankings here.
The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded Council Rock School District’s Holland Middle School LEED Gold certification. The project was also awarded an Ace Grant.
SG received an Award at the Annual AIA AAJ Conference in Jersey City in 2018 for the Pennsylvania State Emergency Operations Center project, PEMA. The project was subsequently featured in the AIA’s Justice Facilities Review in 2019.
Holland Middle School received an Outstanding Project Recognition from Learning by Design’s Fall 2019 Issue.
Gulph Elementary School received an Outstanding Design Recognition from American School & University (AS&U)’s 2019 Educational Interiors Showcase August Issue and an Outstanding Design recognition from AS&U Architectural Portfolio 2019.Our projects have been in the news as well!
Fox 43 News reported on the new PEMA Emergency Operations Center Project
[“Exclusive: A behind-the-scenes look at PEMA headquarters”]
Daily Times reported on the New Springfield High School Project
[“New Springfield High School is on the rise”]
WNCT reported on Martin County’s new 911 Center Project
[“Construction on new 911 center in Martin County nears completion”]
The Reporter reported on the Knapp Elementary School Project:
[“North Penn outlines future facility projects”]
[“North Penn: Talks underway with Lansdale on Knapp Elementary project”]
[“Knapp Elementary plans get OK from Lansdale council”]
[“Knapp Elementary plans updated, Jan. 7 public project meeting scheduled]
King of Prussia Courier reported on the Upper Merion Area High School Project
[“Upper Merion supervisors get a look at the latest high school plans”]
Moving Forward
The SG team would like to extend our appreciation to all of our clients, to the many who experience these buildings every day, and to our fantastic employees and their families. We truly hope to continue to provide environments for growth and inspiration for those who work, play and learn within them for generations to come.
Happy Holidays…
The SG team sends their warm wishes to all of you this Holiday season!
Cheers~
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Officially Opens Martin County’s New Regional 9-1-1 Communication Center
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) celebrated with Martin County and their regional partners; Bertie County and Pasquotank County, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony that initiated the official opening of its new 9-1-1 Regional Communication Center.
The SG team joined County and State officials, First Responders, E9-1-1 staff and the community for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the new 9-1-1 Regional Communication Center. The highly anticipated facility, designed by SG, will now become Martin County’s primary dispatch center. The facility operates 24/7 and is equipped with upgraded technology consistent with state-of-the-art 9-1-1 center standards assuring citizens’ needs are met quickly and efficiently.
Martin County Manager and member of the North Carolina (NC) State 9-1-1 Board (former Vice Chairman), David Bone, states, “This project establishes the highest standard of a cost effective PSAP with state-of-the-art design and technology for small to medium size counties throughout North Carolina,” Bone also indicated that this facility will serve as a model for other NC Counties challenged with providing affordable and modern critical facilities to serve rural communities.
SG is proud to have been part of the team responsible for providing the space necessary to support public safety services to the citizens of Martin County and its adjacent counties. The SG team is appreciative of Martin County and their regional partners for this opportunity and as great people delivering a tremendous service to their Counties.
Learn more about SG’s Public Safety facilities, planning and design services here.
SCHRADERGROUP Attends Groundbreaking Ceremony for Neidig Elementary School
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) attended the Groundbreaking Ceremony to mark the beginning of the construction process for Quakertown Community School District’s (QCSD) Neidig Elementary School project on May 29, 2019.
Students, teachers, District Officials, School Directors and members of the community gathered to celebrate the addition and renovation project that will transform the existing 1950’s era building into a state of the art learning environment.
The building will undergo a major addition and renovation designed to house 600 students. The primary wing of the existing facility will remain and will receive a complete renovation while the fifth-grade wing will be demolished and replaced by a new two-story classroom wing. A new gymnasium will be added and the balance of the facility will be gutted and completely renovated. The facility will be completed for fall 2020 occupancy.
The SG team is pleased to partner with QCSD on this highly anticipated educational facility.
Read more about Neidig Elementary School here.
To see other K-12 projects in process, click here.
SCHRADERGROUP Welcomes Our Newest Interior Designer!
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) welcomes our new Interior Designer, Kayla McCoy.
Kayla joins the SG team as a recent graduate of Jefferson University where she obtained her Master’s degree in Interior Architecture. During her experience at Jefferson University, she completed an Interior Architecture internship where she renovated interiors of exhibits, museums, community wellness centers, hospitals, homes and more.
She previously taught as an elementary teacher for three years educating first, fifth and Special Education students. Her passion for education has shifted to enhancing the learning environments she once taught in.
Kayla also brings a wealth of knowledge developing sustainable energy solutions for facilities. During her internship she designed interiors for environmental centers, where she utilized Photovoltaic Panels and Rainwater cisterns for her projects. Her environmentally friendly strategies provide SG with insight for projects pursuing LEED Certification standards.
The SG team looks forward to Kayla’s contribution to new learning environments for students.
Interested in joining the SG team? Check out available opportunities here.
Managing and Marrying Client Expectations
Maintaining healthy client relationships during the course of a project and beyond requires continual commitment and hard work. Well-defined goals and expectations must be established early on in the design process. An integrative planning process included as part of the initial design process fosters buy-in from all parties, which may include the owners, users (including students and teachers with educational projects), local agencies, etc. Developing a project schedule with clearly identified project milestone dates is essential. Meeting these project milestone dates and maintaining on-going communication throughout the project keeps owners informed with progress. A conceptual budget must be established and the client reassured of cost control measures throughout each phase of the design process.
As professionals, we are viewed as experts and must follow-up promptly on any issues that arise during the course of a project and serve as true problem solvers. We build client relations through reassurance of efficient and timely project delivery. Professionals wear many hats throughout the duration of a project, and clients must feel comfortable that the project is being managed at various levels – especially with regard to project budget and schedule.
Professionals must remain flexible and offer alternative solutions and approaches to the multitude of issues that can arise during design and construction phases. Ultimately, comprehensive, clear, regular communication and information exchange (weekly meetings or calls at a minimum) is the best approach for maintaining a positive working relationship with a client. In the end, it is our professional responsibility to be timely and responsive to all of our client needs. By effectively managing and marrying client expectations, we strengthen the relationship moving forward and achieve a win-win for both client and professional.
Written by Bruce Bachtle, Principal and Partner of SCHRADERGROUP