Tag: 2018

SCHRADERGROUP Managing Partner’s Farewell as Chairman of the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE)

David Schrader, Managing Partner of SCHRADERGROUP (SG), closed another chapter with A4LE as his time on the Executive Committee for A4LE came to an end in October of 2018.

SG Managing Partner David Schrader, AIA, LEED AP, A4LE Fellow, is heavily involved in a variety of activities surrounding planning and design for educational facilities. A long-standing member of the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE), formerly Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI), David most recently served as Chairman of the International Board of Directors for the organization.  Former posts include Vice Chair of the International Board of Directors, Chair of the International Membership Committee, Co-Chair of the International School of the Future Design Competition, President of the Northeast Region, and CEFPI Governor for Pennsylvania.

David is the recipient of multiple awards bestowed by the organization and is a regular speaker and organizer for regional and national conferences. He also served as Jury Chair of the SchoolsNEXT Design Competition, an annual program supported by A4LE and over 20 other organizations that draws national attention to the importance of well-planned, healthy, high performance, safe and sustainable schools through a design competition engaging middle school students.

In 2009 through 2011, David was named Planner of the Year for the Northeast Region of the Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI).  He consequently was a finalist for International Planner of the Year in 2010 and 2011. David was awarded the Distinction of A4LE Fellow at the 2017 Annual Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. David has received numerous design accolades and recognition from other organizations as well. Recognized for demonstrating excellence in educational facilities planning, practice and leadership, David is known for involving students and community in consensus-based planning processes, for his commitment to educational programming and design, and for his regional and national CEFPI leadership roles.

David noted that his time on the Executive Committee has been among the most rewarding experiences of his career. During his time, the organization experienced unprecedented growth from 3,500 members to 5,000. He was part of the Executive Committees that renamed and rebranded the organization. He was also part of the team instating the global transition of the organization and continues in that capacity today.

In his parting statement, David expressed his sincere appreciation to his A4LE colleagues for this amazing camaraderie, to his professional colleagues for their support during his tenure and to his family for their love and support.

SCHRADERGROUP Gives Thanks for 2018 and Welcomes the New Year

Time sure flies when you’re having fun!

Everyone at SCHRADERGROUP is grateful for all the opportunities and adventures that we’ve had over the past year. Let’s recap some of those great moments from 2018…

 

The SCHRADERGROUP Team

Early this year, our Lancaster office moved its location to the downtown area on East King Street, in the middle of all the action in Lancaster city.

We congratulated Eric Weiss and Kelly Ryan for becoming registered Architects in Pennsylvania as well as Jeff Rothermel for becoming a registered Structural Engineer. We welcomed back Paige Geldrich, our previous summer intern, as our newest Architectural Designer. We also recognized five years of dedication to SCHRADERGROUP (SG) from Principals, Harry Pettoni and Tom Forsberg, Architects, Eric Weiss and Kelly Ryan, and Marketing Associate, Rachel Dougherty.

 

Community Engagement

Senior Project Manager, Danielle V. Hoffer, generously lent her time and experience to Hatboro-Horsham School District by participating in their girls’ STEM talk, Blair Mill Elementary School’s “Tiny House” project, the School District’s Career Fair, the School District’s Statistic Fair and the School District’s Networking Event.

Project Manager and Architect, Dan D’Amico, visited Upper Merion Area School District’s elementary schools to discuss designing spaces for everyone (accessibility) and classrooms for the future.

Project Architect, Kelly Ryan, volunteered her time to help teach students how to cook with the Vetri Cooking Lab program.

Managing Partner, David Schrader, had the opportunity to talk to the students at Penn State’s Blue and White Society sharing his life and professional experiences as an Architect and managing his own firm. He also discussed sustainability with a panel of Doctoral Candidates at Arcadia University and published thoughts on “What We Understand About the Next Generation of Learning Environments” on our SG blog. He also published thoughts on “Changing the Face of Education” in Learning by Design Magazine.

 

Conferences and Events

The SG team made exciting new connections at various conferences and events we attended this year.

We 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.

As always, we loved seeing familiar faces and meeting new people in the academic community at the PASBO, PSBA, A4LE, Maryland ASBO and DVASBO annual conferences.

We also enjoyed meeting and speaking with members of the Communications, Emergency Operations and the Law Enforcement communities during our exhibition and attendance at various Public Safety conferences including IACP, APCO, NSA and NENA.

 

Awards and Recognition

With tremendous support from our clients, we’re proud to announce a number of awards and recognition our projects have earned over the past year.

Phoenixville Area School District’s new Early Learning Center and Manavon Elementary School received four separate Outstanding Design awards from Learning by Design and American School & University magazines. For more detail, check out  Learning by Design’s 2018 spring issue here and 2018 fall issue here; American School & University’s August issue and their November-December issue here.

Bristol Township School District’s Brookwood, Mill Creek, and Keystone Elementary Schools were featured in Sherwin William’s STIR magazine. STIR praised us for our ability to “create an inviting and beautiful environment that the District and its children are proud of.”

The State Emergency Operations Center that SG and AECOM designed and built together for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency also received an AIA AAJ Justice Facilities award from the American Institute of Architects. Further, South Korean delegates took a tour of the Emergency Operations Center to view its state-of-art technology and facility design.

We received word that a young student created a perspective painting of the Hayshire Elementary School that we previously designed for Central York School District. It’s wonderful to see our designs appreciated by students!

We were delighted to have our firm profile featured in Learning by Design’s summer issue as well as ranking #95 in Engineering News-Record MidAtlantic’s Top Design Firms of 2018 and ranking #38 in the Architect Magazine’s Top 50 Firms in Business.

David Schrader earned Fellowship recognition this year for his service with the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE). He also reflected on his time with A4LE and the organization’s international accomplishments in an article in Learning Spaces Magazine. Though David’s role as Chairman came to a close this past year, he remains an active, contributing member of A4LE and supports the new Chairman and Board Members in their mission to improve the environments in which children learn.

 

Beginnings and Next Chapters

We began a grand journey for the construction of Hatboro-Horsham School District’s Crooked Billet Elementary School, Springfield Township School District’s newest Early Learning Center with groundbreaking ceremonies as well as Springfield School District’s, in Delaware County, newest High School.

We welcomed the opening of Cherry Hill Elementary/Middle School with a Ribbon cutting with officials from Baltimore City Public Schools. We celebrated the completion of Upper Merion Area School District’s two new Elementary Schools: Caley and Gulph in King of Prussia. We finished construction of Council Rock School District’s newly renovated Holland Middle School. We are also proud to see the completion of the Phelps School Athletic Facility, renovations to Circle of Seasons Charter School, and the renovations to Palmyra Middle School.

We thank you for all the adventures we’ve had during 2018 and are excited for more opportunities in the new year!

From all of us at SCHRADERGROUP

Phoenixville Area Early Learning Center and Manavon Elementary School Receives an Outstanding Design Award from American School & University’s 2018 Architectural Portfolio Issue

SCHRADERGROUP (SG)’s Phoenixville Area Early Learning Center and Manavon Elementary School project received another Outstanding Design award from American School & University magazine.  This time in the 2018 Architectural Portfolio, November-December 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.

Read more about the PASD school here.

You can read the issue online here.

SCHRADERGROUP is ranked #95 on Engineering News-Record MidAtlantic’s Top Design Firms of 2018

SCHRADERGROUP is ranked #95 on Engineering News-Record MidAtlantic’s Top Design Firms of 2018.

Check out the Ranking list here.

You can also check out some of our recent projects here.