Tag: design
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 18th in Gilbertsville, PA. The Delaware Valley Association of School Business Officials (DVASBO) has held this outing for 31 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 Principal Tom Forsberg attended the event with the next generation of SCHRADERGROUP golfers, Project Managers and Associates Devin Bradbury and Dan D’Amico and Project Architect Jeremy Ross. It was a beautiful day for golf and the course was filled with great friends and colleagues!
SCHRADERGROUP was proud to be a tee sponsor for this long running event whose mission is to help develop and support school business operation leaders. 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. We look forward to future events involving these great organizations!
To learn more about SCHRADERGRPOUP’s commitment to educational facilities, click here.
To learn more about the Delaware Valley Association of School Business Officials, click here.
SCHRADERGROUP Construction Progress – Summer 2021
As we move into the middle of summer, many of our construction projects are now really starting to take shape. A few of the construction projects underway include the new Upper Merion Area High School, additions and renovations to Anne Frank Elementary School for the School District of Philadelphia, the new Career and Advanced Technology Center for the Community College of Philadelphia, the masonry restoration of the Paul L. Dunbar School in Philadelphia, the demolition of the existing Springfield High School, and the PennDOT District 6.0 Regional Traffic Management Center, among others.
Upper Merion Area School District – Upper Merion Area High School, New Facility
Construction on the new Upper Merion Area High School continues into the heat of the summer. Infrastructure is being installed and is on pace for a September 2022 completion, just in time for Upper Merion Area School District high school students to start their new school year. Upon completion of and move into the new facility, demolition of the existing facility will begin. Once that demolition is complete, new playing fields will be constructed in its place.
This month, large Glulam Beams continue to be erected in the common areas. In the theater wing, the steel is in place for the stage as the auditorium takes shape.
School District of Philadelphia – Anne Frank Elementary School, Additions and Renovations
Work on the Anne Frank Elementary School continues in Northeast Philadelphia. Metal panels have been installed on 75% of the new construction areas while the glass and glazing installation is 50% complete.
Acoustic ceiling tile and vinyl composite tile installation continues while the walls are being painted. Ceramic tile flooring has started in the toilet rooms as well. A new feature this month are the railings being installed in the new stairways.
Community College of Philadelphia – Career and Advanced Technology Center, New Facility
The Community College of Philadelphia’s new Career and Advanced Technology Center (CATC) is progressing in West Philadelphia. Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing rough-ins continue at the interior wall and ceiling level and fire protection systems will follow.
Masonry work continues as well as exterior and interior metal framing. The building enclosure systems are expected to be completed by end of summer or early fall.
Recently, the on-grade concrete slabs were completed on the first floor. This project is scheduled for a February 2022 completion.
School District of Philadelphia – Paul L. Dunbar School, Restoration
Another School District of Philadelphia school project that is wrapping up is the restoration to the Paul L. Dunbar School. The outdated building exterior was in poor shape, with deteriorated masonry around the parapet of the building.
The restoration includes the installation of galvanized steel inlets to replace the rusted ungalvanized ones, the rebuilding of masonry, and the repointing of mortar joints. The project is a restoration of a beautiful WPA funded school. Substantial completion is expected by end of summer.
Springfield School District – Springfield High School, Existing High School Demolition and Visitor Side Bleacher Construction
In Springfield, PA, the new Springfield High School has just been completed. Demolition of the existing High School has begun and is on schedule for completion at the end of the summer.
The Visitor Side Bleacher building footing and foundations have recently been completed. Next up are the masonry walls and door frames as well as site work grading for the athletic fields and tennis courts.
Department of General Services – PennDOT District 6.0 Regional Traffic Management Center (RTMC) and Parking Structure, New Facilities
The new PennDOT Regional Traffic Management Center in King of Prussia is progressing nicely, with the continued forming of concrete footings and foundation walls. SG serves as the design component of the Heim Construction Design-Build team for this project. At the accompanying parking garage, work has been completed.
It is always exciting to watch our design work become reality! We would like to thank our clients, consultants, contractors, and all other team members for your dedication and support of the on-going efforts for these projects!
Learn more about these and other exciting SCHRADERGROUP projects here!
SCHRADERGROUP Hosts Planning Workshop for Rose Tree Media School District’s New Elementary School
At SCHRADERGROUP, we believe academic design truly is the design for the future, as it provides the environment in which today’s students develop into tomorrow’s thinkers and leaders. In order to keep that goal in focus, we strive to develop designs for facilities created by the community, for the community.
Our community-based workshop process for planning and design inspires innovative design solutions that nest serve our client’s needs. Collaboration is key to supporting our client’s dreams and our team’s capabilities assist with getting to the end result. Educational facility design that is initiated by the client results in a project that will serve the community and is grounded in the district’s culture and educational philosophy. As 2021 continues, more projects are becoming realties for SG and our clients. One of these exciting projects is a new elementary school for Rose Tree Media School District (RTMSD) in Media, PA.
SG recently partnered with RTMSD and ICS to host a planning workshop for faculty and administration of RTMSD to learn what priorities the District has for the new facility. SCHRADERGROUP team members led the process geared towards discovering different options for the new school.
The workshop began with a presentation about next generation learning and gave attendees virtual tours of state-of-the-art facilities in the country that exemplify these ideas. Next, the group broke into smaller teams and held individual visioning and building workshops with feedback loops in order to come up with and vote on the best options for the District.
The SG team came away from this workshop event with multiple site concepts and building plans that were reported back to the larger group. From here, designs will continue with refinement workshops until a final design has been reached.
SG is proud to work with Rose Tree Media School District and is looking forward to completing a state-of-the-art facility for the residents of the district’s municipalities.
To learn more about Rose Tree Media School District, click here.
To learn more about the new elementary school for Rose Tree Media School District, click here.
To learn more about ICS, click here.
To learn more about SCHRADERGROUP’s devotion to creating next generation learning environments, click here.
SCHRADERGROUP Welcomes 2021 Summer Architectural Interns!
This year, SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is pleased to welcome two summer architectural interns, Leah Balderson and Dan Pawluczyk. We are very excited to have these enthusiastic young professionals join the SG family!
Leah Balderson
Undergraduate Student
Pennsylvania State University – Bachelor of Architecture
Leah will be a 5th year student at Pennsylvania State University and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in architecture. She is an active member of AIAS (American Institute of Architecture Students) and is an architecture mentor for incoming first year architecture students. Leah is also on the Rules and Regulations Committee for THON.
Leah is very passionate about art and design. She has always had a love of drawing and painting, and in recent years has become very interested in graphic design. In her free time, she loves to snowboard and is a member of the PSU Snowboarding Club.
Looking to the future, Leah’s first goal is to become a licensed architect. She strives to design buildings that positively affect people’s daily lives. Leah’s thesis is focused on environmental psychology, the study of transactions between people and their physical settings, and she hopes to continue studying that over the course of her career.
“I hope for people to walk into a space that I designed and feel as though they are benefiting from the atmosphere I created.”
Dan Pawluczyk
Undergraduate Student
Pennsylvania State University – Bachelor of Architecture
Dan will be a 5th year architecture student at Pennsylvania State University. He is an active participant in THON, spending his first two years volunteering on hospitality committees. This past year, he danced virtually at THON with his fraternity, the top fundraising general organization for the fifth year in a row.
Dan’s favorite activities are those that he can do with family and friends. He enjoys golfing, snowboarding, basketball and hiking. Dan is looking forward to hitting the golf course with his SG coworkers this summer!
After spending multiple summers working at a construction company, Dan was propelled into the world of design production. His favorite part of architecture is the challenge of marrying the freedom of design with the practical realities of how something is built.
Looking to the future, Dan sees an open world of possibilities. He takes inspiration from documentaries and magazines dealing with design and architecture. His goal is to one day work on projects featured in Dezeen and ArchDaily.
“I think having the ability to shape your own career path and follow your interests is one of the most valuable aspects of architecture and design.”
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.
Interested in working with us? Visit our Careers page to see what opportunities are available at SG here.
SCHRADERGROUP Hosts Design Workshop for Great Valley School District for the Conceptualization of a New 5/6 Grade Center
After completing a district-wide facility assessment and master plan for the district in 2020, SCHRADERGROUP (SG) began a series of community workshops to identify priorities and to narrow the field of options for district-wide planning for Great Valley School District (GVSD). Based on the master plan, capacity analysis, and community meetings, the District opted to design a new 5/6 Grade Center on a site adjacent to the existing K.D. Markley Elementary School.
SCHRADERGROUP’s process includes community input through planning and design workshops. In the case of the new 5/6 Grade Center, SG teamed with GVSD to hold this workshop in the existing K.D. Markley Elementary School on April 21st. SG welcomed over 50 stakeholders to the workshop to hear a review of the process, virtually tour other state-of-the-art facilities, and discuss preferences for the new 5/6 Grade Center.
After a series of consensus building exercises, the team split into smaller groups and each group created multiple options for the new facility using the existing site and programming blocks. The SG team took away some valuable feedback from this process and is very excited to start the designs for the new center.
Learn more about Great Valley School District here.
See more of SCHRADERGROUP’s work with K-12 schools here.
SCHRADERGROUP Hosts Design Workshop for Hatboro-Horsham School District to Determine the Future Configuration of the Keith Valley Middle School
2021 has been off to a busy start for Hatboro-Horsham School District (HHSD)! After hosting multiple conceptualization sessions in January and February and taking tours of example facilities throughout the Mid-Atlantic in March, the SCHRADERGROUP (SG) team conducted a planning workshop with HHSD staff, parents, and Hatboro and Horsham municipal officials last month.
The existing Keith Valley Middle School is aging and in need of serious repairs. There are ADA issues throughout the facility and upgrades are needed to the HVAC systems. Through prior studies and through a process conducted by D’Huy Engineering, it was determined that replacing the entire middle school was the most feasible option for the district. So, the next steps were to meet with the community members to design a replacement middle school that can better serve its students as part of a 21st century learning environment.
SCHRADERGROUP partnered with HHSD and D’Huy Engineering to host the workshop on April 8th. After an introductory process, the team split into smaller groups. Each group was given site plans and program blocks to brainstorm and envision the different aspects of the new school on the existing site. SG is very excited to take the next steps in creating a dynamic and functional middle school to serve the residents of Hatboro-Horsham School District.
Following the completion of the Crooked Billet Elementary School in 2020, this exciting project continues SG’s relationship with Hatboro-Horsham School District and all of the wonderful people who live, work and learn in the district.
Learn more about other SG projects at Hatboro-Horsham School District here.
Learn more about Hatboro-Horsham School District here.
SCHRADERGROUP Construction Progress – April 2021
SCHRADERGROUP’S projects are quickly becoming a reality as construction continued throughout April. The team has been hard at work with construction administration for a variety of projects. A few of our construction projects that are underway include: two projects for the School District of Philadelphia, the Community College of Philadelphia’s new Career and Advanced Technology Center, the new Upper Merion Area High School, and the new PennDOT District 6.0 Regional Traffic Management Center and Parking Structure.
School District of Philadelphia – Anne Frank Elementary School, Renovations
Construction continues at Anne Frank Elementary School in northeast Philadelphia. Interior and exterior metal studwork and HVAC ductwork continues while exterior brick work is 80% complete. In the existing building, new VCT flooring has been installed.
School District of Philadelphia – Paul L. Dunbar Promise Academy, Masonry Investigation
Moving into Templetown, masonry restoration work at the Paul L. Dunbar School has finally begun. The historic academy north of center city serves grades k-8 and the façade was in serious need of repair. Old brick parapets were removed and reconstructed with new reinforced and grouted CMU, the exterior brick wythe was reconstructed as well and new flashing and anchors were installed.
This project shows the importance of masonry investigations, as the existing steel angle lintels were severely deteriorated.
Community College of Philadelphia – Career and Advanced Technology Center, New Facility
In West Philadelphia, the new Career and Advanced Technology Center for the Community College of Philadelphia is coming along nicely. The steel frame is being erected from the ground floor level while footings and foundations are ongoing at the first-floor level.
Upper Merion Area School District – Upper Merion Area High School, New Facility
In King of Prussia, the new high school is taking shape. The structural steel and foundation/underground work is ongoing and concrete slabs are underway.
Department of General Services – PennDOT District 6.0 Regional Traffic Management Center (RTMC) and Parking Structure, New Facility
In King of Prussia, the grading for the RTMC building pad is ongoing. Rebar is on site and concrete footings are being poured. The formwork erection for the southwest retaining wall is recently underway.
The parking structure is progressing quickly. The curtain wall framing at the stairs, the stair railing, electrical conduit, and plumbing piping have all been installed and concrete washes are complete. The roof membrane installation has been recently completed as well.
As the weather improves and work continues, it is exciting to watch these projects come to fruition. We would like to thank all of our clients, consultants, contractors, and supporters for your dedication and support!
Learn more about these and other exciting SCHRADERGROUP projects here!
SCHRADERGROUP Construction Progress – March 2021
2021 has been off to quite a busy start here at SCHRADERGROUP! The team has been working diligently on multiple projects in both the K-12 and Public Safety markets, including Upper Merion Area High School, Chatham County (NC) Emergency Operations Center, Anne Frank Elementary School, Knapp Elementary School, the East Pennsboro Area School District’s Administration Office, and the PennDOT District 6.0 Regional Traffic Management Center and Parking Structure.
With the weather improving recently, construction progress has been speeding up! See below for details on each of these exciting projects.
Upper Merion Area School District – Upper Merion Area High School
This month, the site finally started to dry out. Structural steel is being erected and the site was buzzing with activity!
Chatham County, North Carolina – Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
Early site work has been moving along on this North Carolina EOC project. The pond construction, on-site water, and rough grading over the culvert are all complete while off-site water and road grading remains ongoing.
The School District of Philadelphia – Anne Frank Elementary School
In Philadelphia, construction continues on the Anne Frank Elementary School. The concrete slabs are completed, and the CMU work is coming close behind. Both interior and exterior metal stud work is in progress.
North Penn School District – Knapp Elementary School
Phase 1 of Knapp Elementary School’s renovations and additions is nearly complete! An 8-classroom addition that includes a new bus entry canopy and vestibule will provide the swing space for the remainder of the renovation work. Demolition is set to start for the next phase, which will create a brand new Dining Commons, Large Group Instruction space, and secure entry.
East Pennsboro Area School District (EPASD) – District Administration Office
Up near Harrisburg, the District Administration Office for EPASD is coming along nicely. The exterior steel for the addition is complete and the concrete slab was poured last week. Interior stud work is currently in progress.
Department of General Services – PennDOT District 6.0 Regional Traffic Management Center (RTMC) and Parking Structure
Back in Philly, the PennDOT RTMC building is off and running. The first section of retaining wall footing is being constructed and the grading for the building pad is underway.
The activity at the parking structure is bustling as well. Steel installation at the stair towers is complete and rebar has been installed at the stair landing in preparation for concrete pours. CMU wall installation is underway as well as stud framing, HM door installation, and the sealing of vertical joints.
We are so excited to see these designs finally coming to reality! Thank you to our wonderful consultants and partners, particularly Heim Construction, Bala Consulting Engineers and Alfred Benesch & Company in their great work with PennDOT.
Learn more about these and other exciting SCHRADERGROUP projects here!
Hazleton Area School District’s Creative Solutions to Increase Student Capacity
Based on the current enrollments and the rate of new arrivals into the district, and as identified as part of SCHRADERGROUP’s capacity analysis of the District, the District’s Elementary/Middle Schools had reached and were exceeding capacity. To gain a sufficient number of classroom spaces as quickly as possible, SCHRADERGROUP designed and bid multiple building projects to convert existing interior spaces to classrooms. Interior renovations versus new construction not only saved construction costs but also reduced the timeline to occupy the spaces. The completed projects created 30 additional classrooms, increasing the Hazleton Area School District’s (HASD) Capacity to 750 students for grades K-8 for under $6 million dollars.
The two creative solutions to add classroom space was simple – capture underutilized space for the educational program. The first set of renovation projects converted existing pools to classroom spaces at multiple K-8 Schools including Freeland Elementary/Middle School, Heights Terrace Elementary/Middle School, McAdoo-Kelayres Elementary/Middle School and Valley Elementary/Middle School. The added benefit of taking multiple pool facilities off-line was the reduction of on-going maintenance costs to operate the pools year-long.
The second set of renovation projects converted a portion of the library space to a self-contained classroom space with a smaller area for the library functions at some of the elementary and/or middle schools including Drums Elementary/Middle School, Freeland Elementary/Middle School, West Hazleton Elementary/Middle School, Hazel Township Early Learning Center, Hazleton (The Castle) Elementary/Middle School, Maple Manor Elementary/Middle School, Valley Elementary/Middle School and Heights Terrace Elementary/Middle School.
These creative measures to recapture classroom space within the building effectively resolved the capacity needs at the K-8 grade levels for the foreseeable future.
SCHRADERGROUP is grateful for this opportunity and proud to have been part of many building transformations in this community. We look forward to sharing future experiences with HASD!
Learn more about Hazleton Area School District here.
Learn more about SCHRADERGROUP’S work with K-12 facilities here.
SCHRADERGROUP to Attend PSU’s Stuckeman School Virtual Career Day
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) will be attending the Pennsylvania State University’s Annual Stuckeman School Career Day on March 3, 2021. Managing Partner David Schrader will be joined by fellow Penn State alumni and SG employees, Paige Geldrich and Eric Weiss, at the SCHRADERGROUP Virtual Booth from 11am – 4pm. Come visit and meet the team!
This exciting event encourages student engagement and networking with alumni and professionals across the architecture, landscape architecture and graphic design professions. SG is honored to interact with the Stuckeman School’s high caliber students once again. Although the event is not held in person this year, SG is proud to continuously be a part of this impactful Career Day. We look forward to virtually speaking with and meeting these new thinkers and leaders of tomorrow.
Are you a PSU Stuckeman School student that would like to join the event? Register for free here.
Interested in joining the SG team? Check out what opportunities are available for you here.