Tag: engineering
SCHRADERGROUP: Enhancing Your Community with Next Generation Learning Environments
WE BELIEVE ACADEMIC DESIGN TRULY IS THE DESIGN FOR THE FUTURE
Over 19 years as a firm, SCHRADERGROUP (SG) completed over 200 projects in design for education and devoted the majority of its practice to learning environments. We are focused on creating learning environments specific to your vision for developing the leaders and thinkers for tomorrow.
Our Partners and Associates have over three decades of experience in academic facility design and are involved with school associations locally, nationally, and internationally (PASBO, DVASBO, NSBA, PSBA, A4LE, and others.) With this experience, the SG leadership continues to be committed to academic design to ensure the best experience for you.

SG employs 40+ full-time professional staff and is a full-service architecture firm offering planning and design services in the areas of architecture, structural engineering, planning, interior design, and construction administration. SG has the capacity to design over $400 million in construction projects per year.
The SG team works diligently to deliver projects in the most timely and cost effective manner and offers solutions that will satisfy programming standards of facilities nationally. With this effort, the stage is set for a design that will be entirely appropriate to its setting while satisfying the ergonomic needs of the using agencies.

Check out our a few of our K-12 Projects here.
Downloads of our K-12 flyer, brochure, and SOQ are available here.
And downloads of our tour book and brochure on our star project, Upper Merion Area High School, are available here.
Upper Merion Area School District’s Upper Merion Area High School Recognized as an Outstanding Project in American School & University’s Fall 2022 Architectural Portfolio
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is proud to announce that our recently completed project, Upper Merion Area School District’s new Upper Merion Area High School, has received an Outstanding Project Award from American School & University for its Fall 2022 Architectural Portfolio.

SG is excited to have another project featured in this prestigious publication. We have thoroughly enjoyed working with Upper Merion Area School District (UMASD) and are honored to have this excellent school 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 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.

After a complete 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 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 workspaces as well as contemporary higher education spaces were studied in the process of the development of this unique facility.

The 345,000 SF facility is connected to the existing middle school through the athletic and performing arts facilities 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 on the ground floor. After hours, the “commons” space will 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 a 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 tremendous additional learning opportunities.
You can view our entry in the Fall 2022 Architectural Portfolio issue of American School & University on page 73 here.
Learn more about the Upper Merion Area High School here.
SG is proud to have partnered with Upper Merion Area School District. Learn more about this great school district here.

SCHRADERGROUP Presents at the 2022 EDspaces Convention in Portland, Oregon
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) attended the EDspaces Education Conference from Wednesday, November 2nd to Friday, November 4th, 2022 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, OR. SG Managing Partner David Schrader and SG Associate Danie Hoffer represented SCHRADERGROUP at the conference.

EDspaces is a place where innovation transforms learning environments. Attendees learned about industry trends, fresh perspectives, and innovative case studies. Professionals from across the country attended to contribute to collective industry knowledge and to add their own voices to the conversation surrounding the future of learning.

EDspaces featured a curated, multi-track educational and professional development series of 60+ education sessions conducted in classrooms designed by visionary A+D firms that competed to share their innovative ideas for the future of learning.

David and Danie were joined by Upper Merion Area School District (UMASD) Superintendent Dr. John Toleno and Upper Merion Area High School (UMAHS) Principal Jonathan Bauer for a special “EDsession” focused on UMAHS. The session, titled, “Student-Focused Design to Inspire Personal Achievement – the Next Generation High School,” explored how technology, space, and pedagogy converge to impact student success. The session profiled how local businesses and industries inspired the design of the new High School in King of Prussia, a suburb of Philadelphia. The session included a discussion on the educational limitations of the existing traditional high school designed in the 1960s as compared to the design of the new high school. The new facility provides higher education level spaces to engage in interactive learning activities of “research, develop, and present!” Spaces integrated throughout offer opportunities in flexible spaces to complement how different students learn.

The presentation visually immersed participants in the design of the school with a fly-around of the building. Using 3-D modeling technology, this tool is used throughout the design process to engage the client and allow the end user to experience the space design from the very early design stages to the full design development including the interior finishes. Participants will experience the volume of the spaces and how students will move through the building.

In addition to the speaking opportunities, attendees were also invited to tour nearby next-generation learning facilities and to attend a symposium on educational disruption. Thank you to Discovery High School, James Faubion Elementary School, and Vancouver Innovation Technology & Arts Elementary School for letting us tour your wonderful schools!

SG was proud to attend this conference again and we are very excited to attend in Charlotte, NC in 2023!
To learn more about EDspaces, click here.
To learn more about SCHRADERGROUP’s commitment to creating 21st Century learning environments, click here.
SCHRADERGROUP Attends North Penn School District’s Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Knapp Elementary School
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) attended the ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of an additions and renovations project to Knapp Elementary School for North Penn School District (NPSD) in Lansdale, PA on October 18th. Managing Partner David Schrader and Associates Danie Hoffer and Devin Bradbury represented SG at the event.

The ribbon cutting ceremony commemorated the transformation of this 1950’s facility into a next generation school. The 13,200 SF of additions and 64,800 SF of renovations to Knapp Elementary help facilitate interactive learning, provide enhanced learning environments with natural light, and generate a new sense of pride for the school and the community from the moment you enter its doors.

Community members were invited to see the new and improved school and to hear from district and community leaders. After a few words by the NPSD administration and David Schrader, the ribbon cutting ceremony was held. Following the ceremony, community members and attendees were invited to tour the new and improved facility and hear from staff and students about what they love about their new school.

The building renovations address ADA compliance issues and complete interior improvements throughout the school. The infrastructure and systems design incorporates energy-efficient construction, all-new lighting, HVAC, electrical systems, plumbing, technology, and fire alarm systems. The building design now serves 700 students.

The existing school was configured with classroom wings on either side of central enclosed spaces that housed the administration offices, kitchen, and cafeteria. As part of the renovation, a third classroom wing was added for grades 5-6 to accommodate the population and to eliminate the modular classrooms on-site. The central core was reconfigured to pull the dining commons directly across from the main entrance lobby and the roof structure was raised to introduce natural light into the space through clerestory windows. The library/resource center was relocated to the former cafeteria which now opens into a large group instruction area that is an extension of the dining commons. Internally connected to the two existing classroom wings and the third newly added classroom wing, these core spaces offer a variety of instructional areas in addition to small group instruction rooms provided in the classroom wings for pull-out instruction. The administration was relocated to the former library area directly adjacent to the main entrance which could now be secured.

To clearly identify the main public entrance to the school, the entry features a tall, glass-enclosed volume further marked by the prominent entrance canopy leading to it. This serves as the parent drop-off area with a new entry to the side of the addition serving as a separate bus loop. Sufficient parking is provided in the existing parking lot for staff and visitors with the bus loop used for parking for off-hour events. Outdoor facilities include new paving and sidewalks, hardscape and softscape play areas, one playfield, and open space.

SG would like to express our gratitude to the entire NPSD team for their contributions to improving their district’s schools. We would also like to thank our consulting team for all of the wonderful collaborative work done on this project.
To learn more about SCHRADERGROUP’s commitment to design for education, please click here.
To learn more about the North Penn School District, click here.
SCHRADERGROUP Seeks a Marketing & Proposal Coordinator
Position: Marketing & Proposal Coordinator
Company Overview:
SCHRADERGROUP architecture LLC is a full-service firm offering architectural, planning, programming, interior design, and structural engineering design services for a variety of project types, with specific expertise in the areas of academic and public safety facility design. Founded in 2004 and providing services from offices in Philadelphia and Lancaster, SCHRADERGROUP is recognized both locally and nationally for design that offers the highest degree of service to the user, responds to and respects both the built and natural environment and demonstrates inspired aesthetics.
Position Description:
SCHRADERGROUP seeks a Marketing and Proposal Coordinator to join the team in our Manayunk office. The position calls for a self-motivated and flexible team player to provide a full range of support for the development, production, and maintenance of all marketing communications. The candidate must possess a strong attention to detail, be able to manage/prioritize multiple tasks, function effectively under strict production deadlines and time constraints, and schedule workload to meet deadlines. The candidate should preferably have a background in graphic design and must also exhibit excellent writing skills.
Responsibilities of the Position Include:
- Coordinating and preparing proposals and qualifications, including researching and compiling information, formatting, copy writing, and proofreading to present customized, high-quality responses
- Attending pre-proposal meetings occasionally
- Writing, organizing, and maintaining other marketing materials such as project fact sheets, staff resumes, and other project-related data for ongoing use in marketing/business development efforts
- Attending marketing meetings regularly and coordinating with principals and project managers to advance marketing efforts
- Coordinating and preparing advertisements and award submissions
- Ensuring content/messaging is consistent across all media and adheres to firm brand-standards
- Creating blog posts and other social media postings
- Maintaining schedules and deadlines for marketing activities
- Updating and maintaining the website through regular content reviews and updates
- Maintaining marketing files
Candidate Must Demonstrate:
- Excellent skills in proof reading, editing, and writing
- Excellent attention to detail and accuracy
- Strong graphic design capabilities are desired
- Ability to work as part of a team to accomplish goals and meet deadlines
- Flexibility and responsiveness, with excellent time management skills and a proven ability to meet deadlines and shift priorities when needed
- Ability to multi-task and prioritize tasks
- Strong problem-solving, organizational, planning, and administrative skills
- Excellent production skills
Requirements:
- Applicant should have a minimum of 5 years demonstrated experience for a professional services firm (design firm preferred) in the preparation of marketing materials including writing, editing and desktop publishing.
- Knowledge of/experience in the architecture/engineering or related industry and the RFP and RFQ process is a plus.
- A degree in Communications, Marketing, Graphic Design, or a related discipline is preferred but not required
- Proficiency in Adobe CS, MS Office, strong skills using InDesign, and other graphic programs
Benefits:
SCHRADERGROUP offers a competitive salary and benefit package commensurate with your level of knowledge and experience including health and vision insurance, short- and long-term disability, 401k, and bonus structure.
Contact:
To express interest, please forward a resume to:
Regina Jean-Claude
RJean-Claude@sgarc.com
215.482.7440
SCHRADERGROUP Attends the Community College of Philadelphia’s Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the New Career and Advanced Technology Center
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Career and Advanced Technology Center (CATC) for the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) in Philadelphia, PA on August 18th, 2022. The event commemorated the completion of the college’s newest facility.

As part of its mission to build a better and brighter future for Philadelphia, the College selected SCHRADERGROUP, in partnership with Lavallee Brensinger Architects (LBA), to transform the college’s West Philadelphia Regional Center into a destination that provides high-quality academic, career, and technical programs that support career-focused students entering the region’s workforce. The main objective of this effort was to create a dynamic, identity-focused center that provides students with the ideal learning environment for mastering technologies of the ever-evolving industry and healthcare workplaces.

SCHRADERGROUP Managing Partner David Schrader, Project Architect Eric Weiss, and Interior Designer Charlotte Stoudt represented SG at the event, with members from LBA and our engineering subconsultants in attendance as well. Our design team joined CCP staff, faculty, students, local community members, and city and state officials to celebrate the new facility’s completion.

The main goal of the project was to create a center that provides students with programs that concentrate on career readiness and to generate a thriving workforce in Philadelphia’s transportation, manufacturing, and healthcare fields. The new 75,000 SF facility includes state-of-the-art advanced and adaptive technologies for instructional space and study areas, laboratory service bays for automobiles and small engine equipment, and spaces for diesel technology. Programs offered include transportation and logistics technology training, advanced manufacturing training, entry-level healthcare career training, and an innovation hub for small businesses and entrepreneurs.

The existing West Campus Automotive Technology facility was demolished and replaced with the three-story building.

Comprehensive instruction and training in this facility will focus on automotive and stationary equipment. Programs on the ground floor will service current and future technologies, including diagnostic and repair procedures, as well as techniques for vehicles powered with gasoline, diesel, biotech, electric, propane, and compressed natural gas. The second and third stories will consist of a variety of classrooms and laboratory spaces supporting the automotive program, materials technologies, and healthcare programs.

Other notable features of the facility include LEED certification, energy efficient design utilizing copious amounts of natural daylight, green rooftops for students and community members, a second-floor patio and adjoining room for events, and a learning commons and multiple conference rooms for student collaboration.

SG would also like to express our gratitude to the entire team for their contributions to the design and construction of this amazing school. Thank you to our partnering firm, Lavallee Brensinger Architects, and our subconsultant team KS Engineers, Arora Engineers, Metropolitan Acoustics, Re:Vision Architecture, and International Consultants, Inc. for all of the collaborative work done on this project.

SG was honored to work on this exciting project. To learn more, click here.
To learn more about the Community College of Philadelphia, click here.

T&M Associates Infrastructure Case Study Highlights Manavon Elementary School and Phoenixville Area Early Learning Center
T&M Associates, one of SCHRADERGROUP’s go-to consultants for Site and Civil Engineering, recently published an article dealing with how enhanced erosion and sediment control leads to resilient infrastructure.
This informative article uses a SCHRADERGROUP and T&M Associates project favorite, the Phoenixville Area School District’s (PASD) Manavon Elementary School and Phoenixville Area Early Learning Center as a case study for during- and post-construction erosion controls.
Interested in learning more? You can read the full article by clicking here.
Want to learn more about PASD’s Manavon Elementary and Phoenixville Area Early Learning Center? Click here.