Tag: design
Upper Merion Area High School Recognized as an Outstanding Project in Learning By Design’s Fall 2022 Issue
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is proud to announce that our recently 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 Fall 2022 Awards of Excellence issue. We are very excited to have another SG project recognized as an award-winning facility for its incorporation of next generation learning space design and planning methodologies.
Each year, Learning By Design highlights the best in the educational design and construction market. Educational facilities are judged on the basis of innovation, community needs, interior design, sustainability, functional design, and next generation learning. The award-winning magazine is published three times a year and regularly recognizes the nation’s top K-12 and higher education projects and architecture firms.
We have thoroughly enjoyed working with Upper Merion Area School District (UMASD) and are honored to have this wonderful facility featured in this issue. In addition to the successful completion of Upper Merion Area High School (UMAHS), SG has also worked with the District on the design and construction of the Gulph and Caley Elementary Schools. We look forward to continuing our relationship with this amazing School District that focuses on providing next generation education and facilities to the children of the community!
After a 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 planning 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 work spaces as well as contemporary higher education spaces were studied in the process of the development of this unique facility.
The 345,000 SF facility connects to the existing middle school through the athletic and performance arts components 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. After hours, the “commons” spaces 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 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 additional tremendous learning opportunities.
You can view the Spring 2022 issue of Learning By Design here. You can find the Upper Merion Area High School entry on page 138!
If you’d like to learn even more about the Upper Merion Area High School, click here.
SG is proud to have partnered with Upper Merion Area School District. Learn more about this amazing school district here.
SCHRADERGROUP Partner Bruce Bachtle Announces Retirement
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is celebrating the career of SG Partner Bruce E. Bachtle, AIA. Bruce is set to retire at the end of this year.
Since November of 2005, Bruce has contributed his architectural and construction knowledge to SCHRADERGROUP clients. His hard work for the clients he serves and his willingness to impart his knowledge to younger staff in the offices is recognized both by SG clients and by his colleagues. Bruce has been a mentor, a teacher, and a valuable resource to many throughout his time at SG
Always, Bruce has worked passionately and fairly with everyone with whom he interacts. And his own motto of the THREE C’s; Communication, Commitment, and Compromise is truly the set of virtues by which he performs his professional duties.
Bruce has communicated to the SCHRADERGROUP team that as of December 31, 2022, he will be retiring from his duties with our firm. And, while he will effectively no longer be a part of the SG team in the new year, he has agreed to assist with transition matters for the projects for which he has remaining responsibilities.
This communication is meant to provide clients of SCHRADERGROUP, professional colleagues with whom Bruce has worked, and others, that SG remains committed to you all. Managing Partner David Schrader, Principals Tom Forsberg and Harry Pettoni, and Associates Danielle Hoffer, Dan D’Amico, Devin Bradbury, and Regina Jean-Claude will continue to utilize the resources of SCHRADERGROUP to provide the same level of service for which all of you have known us for since the inception of the firm by David Schrader in April of 2004. We stand loyally committed to all and are moving forward with the same dedication that we have shown for all clients and all projects.
We wish Bruce well in his future endeavors and thank him for his years of dedicated service. We also thank you, our professional colleagues, consultants, and clients, for the commitment you have shown in the work that you have produced together with Bruce over the years.
To learn more about SCHRADERGROUP and the work that we do, click here.
SCHRADERGROUP Welcomes a Former Intern to the Architectural Production Team!
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is happy to announce the newest member to join our team! Please help us welcome Architectural Designer Daniel Pawluczyk, Associate AIA!
Daniel Pawluczyk, Associate AIA
Architectural Designer
Pennsylvania State University – Bachelor of Architecture
Dan is a recent Pennsylvania State University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in architecture. After spending multiple summers interning for a construction company, he was propelled into the world of design and construction and became familiar with job sites through this work. While pursuing his architecture degree, he continued his journey by completing an architectural internship at SG in the summer of 2021. During that time, he assisted Principals and Project Managers with existing conditions reports and feasibility studies, created design options for a new Field House for a local school district, and prepped design development documents for the construction of a new high school.
Dan is skilled in both creating concept options and in using building information modeling software. He is committed to seeing an idea through until it is a reality. Dan finds it most effective to express ideas and find solutions through hand-drawn sketches and follows through with digital modeling to work through the technical details. He thinks that having a curious and open mind is key to success in this industry and he looks forward to applying everything he will learn from his fellow architects and designers to his work.
Dan is passionate about finding fun activities for himself and his friends during his time off. He served as chapter relations chair in his business fraternity, organizing events such as barbecue cookouts, volleyball tournaments, and ski trips for his fraternity brothers. Dan also studied abroad in Rome in the Fall of 2021. Dan is excited to now live in Manayunk and is ready to explore many of the fun art exhibitions, shops, and breweries in Philadelphia.
Looking to the future, Dan is excited to contribute fresh ideas to the team and to learn as much as he can while preparing for the Architect Registration Examination (ARE). He looks forward to learning about the project management role in architecture and how the construction phase allows him to entertain creative yet technical solutions when working through the early phases of a project.
“Having the ability to shape your own career path by following your creative interests is one of the most valuable aspects of architecture and design. I feel joining the SG team will lead me through many creative avenues of design that I never would have imagined.” – Dan
Welcome Dan! We are thrilled to have you join the SG team and are excited to see what the future holds for you! Our team looks forward to sharing our company culture and practice with our new team member and is excited to follow his journey of future success.
Interested in working with us? Visit our Careers page to see what opportunities are available at SG here.
Great Valley School District Breaks Ground on New 5/6 Center
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) attended the official ceremonial groundbreaking for the new 5/6 Center for Great Valley School District (GVSD) on Monday, July 18th. SG Managing Partner David Schrader and Associate Danielle V. Hoffer attended the event with GVSD board members, administration, and the design team.
As a result of a comprehensive Facility Assessment and Master Plan, the option to build a new 5-6 Center will provide the district relief at the four K-5 elementary schools and 6-8 middle school as enrollments continue to climb. The construction of a new facility provides a unique opportunity to design a facility specific for this transitional age group to accommodate 900 students. Based on the teaming model, the academic wing will be comprised of four classroom clusters per grade level on each floor.
The new school will be located on the site currently serving the K.D. Markley Elementary School and the District Administration Building. A portion of the existing District Administration Building will be demolished with the original historic portion of the building maintained. The former historic building will be repurposed as the bus drop-off entrance to the school. A bridge connects the two-story academic building on the lower side of the site to the public spaces on the upper side. The sitework will include modifications to the existing site circulation, including a separate bus drop off for both the new 5-6 Center and the K. D. Markley Elementary School, as well as parking and playfields to accommodate the new construction and program.
The historic portion of the building will be renovated to house the school’s STEM program and will serve as the back drop for the media resource area. The central 2-story learning commons in the academic core of the building features a learning stair to provide a vertical connection from the first to second floor overlooking the space.
The main entrance opens into the dining commons with the stage. Tiered seating allows this multi-purpose space to serve as a performance area. The stage is also accessible from the gymnasium side to provide options for different venues.
This facility is scheduled to open in the fall of 2024.
To learn more about Great Valley School District, please click here.
To learn more about SCHRADERGROUP’s commitment to design for education, please click here.
SCHRADERGROUP Attends Delaware Valley Association of School Business Officials’ Annual Golf Outing!
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) recently attended the DVASBO Golf Outing at the Gilbertsville Golf Course on Friday, June 17th in Gilbertsville, PA. The Delaware Valley Association of School Business Officials (DVASBO) has held this outing for 32 consecutive years to help raise money for scholarships for Delaware Valley students.
DVASBO is the regional chapter of the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials (PASBO). For nearly five decades, DVASBO has been supporting school professionals in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties. The organization currently has over 1,000 members and they are devoted to providing members with education, training, professional development, and timely access to legislative and policy news.
SG Principals Bruce Bachtle and Tom Forsberg were joined by Project Managers and Associates Devin Bradbury and Dan D’Amico. The SG team would like to extend our sincere thanks to the dedicated members of DVASBO for organizing this event held for a great cause.
To learn more about SCHRADERGROUP’s commitment to educational facilities, click here.
To learn more about the Delaware Valley Association of School Business Officials, click here.
THANK YOU to the SCHRADERGROUP 2022 Summer Architectural Interns!
It has been quite a busy summer at SCHRADERGROUP (SG), and we cannot believe how fast time has flown by! We would like to thank our three architectural interns for their hard work and enthusiasm this summer. It is always great to welcome fresh faces to the firm, especially those still in school and looking to learn a bit more about our world! Thank you to Wiley Muck, Miranda Ocampo, and Allyson Everlof for all of your help this summer! We wish you the best in your future studies and professions!
Before they head back to school, the SG family would like highlight each of our great interns:
Wiley Muck
Graduate Student
Temple University – Bachelor of Architecture, currently pursuing Master of Architecture Degree
Wiley will be a 5th year architecture student at Temple University pursuing his Master of Architecture degree. He is the Vice President of the Club Golf team, which he started at Temple along with another architecture student. Wiley enjoys hiking, being outdoors, and can always be found listening to music during his daily activities.
Wiley’s interest in architecture began when he was young. He enjoyed playing with Legos and sketching, and as he got older, he realized that architecture was a perfect fit for him. Wiley has worked on many projects during his short time at SG, with his favorite being continuous work on a master plan for a local school district.
In the future, Wiley looks forward to one day walking or driving past a building that he designed. This is a feeling that he is looking forward to and will be a significant milestone in his future career.
Miranda Ocampo
Undergraduate Student
Pennsylvania State University – Bachelor of Architecture
Miranda will be a 4th year architecture student at Pennsylvania State University. She is the Arts Chairman of the Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority and is also an Ambassador and Mentor for the College of Arts and Architecture. In her free time, Miranda enjoys traveling, painting, and spending time with friends.
Her favorite moment at SG was learning and working alongside so many amazing individuals. She is very appreciative of the mentorship opportunities offered here and came away from her internship with more knowledge of what life after architecture school is really like. Miranda’s favorite project she worked on was a renovation/conversion project for Bucks County Intermediate Unit’s Everitt Elementary School. This project entailed transforming an unused kitchen into a family consumer science classroom so that children with special needs can learn how to do laundry, make certain meals, and wash dishes.
Looking to the future, Miranda hopes to continuously make positive impacts on peoples’ lives through architecture. Her experiences this summer have shown her the many ways that educational architecture can have major impacts on the community.
Allyson Everlof
Undergraduate Student
Pennsylvania State University – Bachelor of Architecture
Ally will be a 4th year architecture student at Pennsylvania State University. She is a Student Representative for the College of Arts and Architecture and is also a member of Delta Gamma Sorority. Ally enjoys taking nature walks, exploring new cities and environments, reading, or simply doing anything artistic or creative. In her free time, she sketches, paints, and makes her own jewelry.
Ally first got interested in architecture when she was young. She always admired beautiful homes and large buildings, and she is very excited to be a part of creating these spaces! Ally has thoroughly enjoyed her time at SG this summer. Her favorite project was a concept development for an auditorium for a nearby school district. She enjoyed getting the opportunity to add some of her own design elements into the concept. Ally’s favorite moment this summer was SG’s Second Annual Golf Outing at Walnut Lane Golf Club.
Looking to the future, Ally is excited for her semester abroad. She will be in studying architecture in Rome for a few months before traveling across Europe’s beautiful landscapes and cities. She hopes to learn even more about the unique styles and techniques of the continent’s architecture.
SCHRADERGROUP’s Managing Partner David Schrader had the following to say about our great summer interns:
“Wiley, Miranda, and Allyson have been stellar additions to the team this summer. We are sorry to see them go! The team at SCHRADERGROUP believes that we are at our best when we can share our experiences with the next generation. Our internship program is central to what we do and allows us to flourish through the enthusiasm added by our interns. We hope that they are also growing through the real-world office and construction site experiences they are able to participate in. We wish the summer 2022 class of interns well and as always; we look forward to seeing them again in the future. They are always welcome back to the offices of SCHRADERGROUP!”
As architects, we realize that the heart of our practice is its people, and we are always looking for ways to promote and foster emerging talent. At SG, we recognize the importance of an internship in the field of architecture and design, and we offer hands-on experience as well as a mentorship component in order to create an environment that leads to understanding and success for all. The SG team looks forward to sharing our company culture and practice with our architectural interns and is excited to follow their journey this summer as they gain the experience necessary for future success.
Thank you so much to Wiley, Miranda, and Ally for your dedication, work ethic, and fresh perspectives offered during your time at SG this summer. We wish you the best in the remainder of your studies and hope to hear of your future successes soon!
Interested in working with us? Visit our Careers page to see what opportunities are available at SG here.
SCHRADERGROUP Sponsors and Attends the 22nd Annual MCIUEF Golf Classic
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) attended the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit Education Foundation (MCIUEF)’s twenty-second annual Golf Classic hosted at the Brookside Country Club in Pottstown, PA on May 9th. The event raised funds to enhance and support educational opportunities for the students of Montgomery County, PA.
SG was proud to be a sponsor for this event. SG team members Harry Pettoni and Devin Bradbury represented SG at the outing that included some well-known faces of the Intermediate Unit.
The MCIUEF celebrated its 22nd year of providing camp and post-secondary scholarships for students with special needs, enriching classroom programs with technology support, and enabling student programs beyond school district budget capabilities. This includes more than $550,000 in grants and scholarships awarded over the last 22 years.
Events like these are important to the success of a community and its students, as it allows the MCIUEF to support programs that continue to attract nearly 7,000 students each year. SG would like to thank the dedicated members of the foundation for organizing this fun event.
Learn more about SCHRADERGROUP’s work with Montgomery County Intermediate Unit and other School Districts in the region here.
Learn more about the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit Education Foundation here.
SCHRADERGROUP Attends North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association Spring Conference
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) attended and exhibited at the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association (NCSA) Spring Conference from April 23rd to the 25th in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The NCSA is a state-wide organization made up of the state’s 100 sheriffs. The association works to strengthen the professional law enforcement services provided to the people of North Carolina.
SG Principal Harry Pettoni operated the SG booth throughout the event. This conference hosted training sessions, special speakers, and exhibitions that dealt with issues in law enforcement and the community. Events like these help sheriffs across the state figure out how to better serve their communities and to share techniques and strategies with their local counterparts.
SG was pleased to be a Corporate Partner for this event. We are dedicated to regularly attending public safety and law enforcement events as they provide new information and processes for the design of safe and efficient public safety facilities.
Learn more about SCHRADERGROUP’s work in Public Safety here.
Learn more about the North Carolina Sheriff’s Association here.
SCHRADERGROUP to Speak at A4LE’s Northeast Conference!
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is thrilled to announce that the team will be presenting at this year’s A4LE Northeast 2022 Annual Regional Conference! SG Managing Partner David Schrader and Associate Danie Hoffer will be presenting alongside the School District of Springfield Township (SDST) Director of Student Services, Dr. Catherine Van Vooren.
Please join us on April 7th at 10am at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill in Washington DC to hear this exciting session and to say hello!
The session, “Enhanced Critical Thinking – For 5 Year Olds?”, will profile how a community and school district worked together to inspire the design of a new K-2 early learning center: the Enfield Elementary School located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The session will delve into how the community-based workshop process and the resulting school design promotes critical thinking, student movement, collaboration, socialization, and communication through the principals of project-based learning for these very young and influential minds.
The overarching theme of this year’s conference, “Blossoming Minds… A Time for Renewal and Optimism,” will gather school facility managers, architects, educators, school planners, engineers, and maintenance and industry experts to share new conversations in the need for adapting our learning environments to new levels of mindfulness, as well as personalized comfort found in equality, inclusion, and the community. The conference will focus on a strong understanding of the student experience and how designing with empathy allows for school planning to be driven by a focus on the future of learning, while still supporting capital needs, growth, and other logistical considerations of school systems. The conference will run from April 6th to April 9th.
The Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) is a professional non-profit association dedicated to improving the places where children learn. The A4LE Northeast Region consists of Chapters that service the Northeast Region of the United States as well as nearby Canadian Provinces. To learn more about A4LE’s Northeast 2022 Annual Regional Conference and to register for this great event, please click here.
To learn more about SG’s speaking session with the SDST at the A4LE Northeast 2022 Annual Regional Conference, please click here.
To learn more about SCHRADERGROUP’s commitment to design for education, please click here.
School District of Springfield Township’s Enfield K-2 Early Learning Center Recognized as Outstanding Project in American School & University’s Fall Architectural Portfolio
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is proud to announce that our recent project, the School District of Springfield Township’s Enfield K-2 Early Learning Center, has received an Outstanding Project Award from American School & University for their Fall 2021 Architectural Portfolio.
This is the second recognition Enfield has received from American School & University this year, after the cafeteria was previously awarded an Outstanding Project Award for the Educational Interiors Showcase. SG is excited to have another project featured in this prestigious magazine. We have thoroughly enjoyed working with the School District of Springfield Township (SDST) and are honored to have this wonderful facility 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 that are 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. SG is honored to have this school featured in this showcase once again.
Faced with an aging K-1 primary center and a 2-5 elementary center at capacity, the School District of Springfield Township addressed both issues with the design of a new 750 student K-2 Early Learning Center.
The design establishes a hierarchy of the public and private zones. The main entrance adjacent to the administration area anchors the interior street connection to give public access to the gymnasium/stage and cafeteria for after school community events. The street connection leads to the central core of the building, featuring the learning resource/STE(A)M programs and learning stair. The school’s educational areas can be secured to allow the public areas to be used after school hours.
Each grade level wing radiates from the central STEAM core and is designed to create smaller learning communities. Each grade grouping is by floor level with supporting small and large group instruction areas to support a variety of learning environments. The central large group instruction area for that grade level supports collaborative activities. Every two classrooms share a small group instruction room facilitating individualized instruction.
You can view our entry in the Fall 2021 Architectural Portfolio issue of American School & University here.
Learn more about the Enfield K-2 Early Learning Center here.
SG is proud to have partnered with Springfield Township School District. Learn more about this amazing school district here.
