Tag: sustainability
SCHRADERGROUP Celebrates Fifteen Years!
This year marks SCHRADERGROUP (SG)’s fifteenth anniversary. The business was established on April 15, 2004 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Fifteen years ago, Managing Partner David Schrader founded SG with the vision of designing for the future—for tomorrow’s workers, thinkers, and leaders. SG’s initial mission was to give back to the community and to build foundations for future generations. Since its inception, SG has succeeded in creating 21st century academic facilities for students, instructors, and staff. SG has also designed sustainable, survivable, community-oriented facilities for public safety/law enforcement personnel and mission critical personnel. SG is recognized both regionally 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.
As SG continues to grow, we honor our beginnings and those who have helped shape us into what we’ve become today. In the images below, we have collected some of our most memorable accomplishments from those last fifteen years.
SG would like to thank our clients, supporters, and community for the opportunities past and present. Further, we’d like to thank these talented colleagues, past and present, who have been so critical to making these great projects a success. We look forward to the next fifteen years of improving the day-to-day experiences of students, faculty, staff, and community through innovative and dynamic design.
Council Rock School District, Holland Middle School. Additions and renovations in Newtown, Pennsylvania.
Read more about the project here.
Learn more about our other project experience here or visit our current SG team page here.
SCHRADERGROUP is Exhibiting at the NSBA Conference in Philadelphia
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) will be exhibiting at the 2019 NSBA Conference from March 30th through April 1st.
“The NSBA Annual Conference & Exposition is the one national event that brings together education leaders at a time when domestic policies and global trends are combining to shape the future of the students. Join us in Philadelphia for a robust offering of over 250 educational programs, including three inspirational general sessions that will give you new ideas and tools to help drive your district forward.”
The SG team hopes to have the opportunity to meet many of you who will be attending the NSBA conference. We welcome the opportunity to discuss contributions we might make to enhance your communities and to help you develop twenty-first century learning environments.
The conference is located at the Philadelphia Convention Center, 1101 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. You can find more information about the conference and can register here. Don’t forget to visit SCHRADERGROUP at booth 526.
You can also read more about our K-12 learning environments here.
Newly Renovated Palmyra Area School District Middle School gets a Facelift and Upgraded Energy-Efficiency Systems
Responding to significant enrollment growth over the past ten years, the Palmyra Area School District is proactively approaching and enhancing the student experience. Addressing numerous facility deficiencies at the Middle School, the District recently finished a two-phase, multi-year addition and renovation process. Much of the process was completed using a GESA process (Guaranteed Energy Savings Act) administered through Reynolds Energy Solutions.
Phase one focused on modernizing all of the energy-consuming systems and equipment within the building. Reynolds Energy Solutions provided new mechanical, plumbing and electrical upgrades with SG providing finish and ADA upgrades to the existing building. By replacing decades-old equipment, fixtures, and lights, the Middle School is now poised for operational efficiency in the coming years.
Other upgrades during phase one included architecturally new or upgraded materials to hallways, classrooms, ADA upgrades, roof replacement, window replacements and exterior restoration throughout the entire school.
Phase two addressed the District’s physical/spatial needs by adding twelve classrooms, small-group instruction space, a faculty room, and new toilet rooms. The cafeteria was modernized and expanded to include an outdoor dining area. Several rooms within the existing building were reconfigured to function programmatically with the District’s current and growing needs. Finally, the Administrative suite received an organizational facelift including a new secure entrance portal.
Renovations to the remainder of the existing School also included: New bleachers for the existing gymnasium, floor leveling of the existing band room to meet ADA, conversion of large group instruction classroom into two new classrooms, replacement of all existing exterior doors, new signage throughout the school, elevator upgrades to meet current codes and new secure front entrance vestibule.
SG is proud of our partnership with the Palmyra Area School District and Reynolds Energy Solutions and excited to continue working with them on several other building modernization projects.
Check out our other K-12 projects here.
State Emergency Operation Center Makes Local News!
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) was pleased to see the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) in action in this featured report on the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) by local FOX 43 news (you can watch it here.) With winter in full swing in the mid-Atlantic area, storms make State EOC’s like PEMA critical to managing state-wide emergencies.
PEMA is a brand new State Emergency Operation Center, that SG in a joint venture with AECOM Technology Corporation (AECOM), completed to serve as a home for many of the State’s emergency response functions. The new facility provides dedicated emergency services and disaster assistance for the state, with the ability to sustain uninterrupted operations during activations.
The AIA AAJ Justice Facilities Review award winning (2014 and 2018) design for this facility is also a US Green Building Council LEED certified project.
You can find more information about the PEMA project here.
SCHRADERGROUP is Exhibiting at the PASBO 64th Annual Conference in Hershey, Pennsylvania
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) will be exhibiting at the 64th Pennsylvania Association of School Business Official (PASBO) Annual Conference this year in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
PASBO is a statewide organization that focuses on sharing learning experiences and promotes networking amongst school business colleagues and business partners that are members of the association. Every year, PASBO has provided an opportunity to come together at their annual conference to present keynote speakers, provide information workshops and sessions and provide opportunities to network with peers and business partners.
At the Conference, there is an opportunity to meet and speak with SG Partners, David Schrader and Bruce Bachtle, Principals, Harry Pettoni and Tom Forsberg, and Senior Educational Planner, Danielle V. Hoffer. The team looks forward to seeing many new and familiar school business colleagues. As experts in Academic design, we want to hear you and to help you with your educational programming, planning and design to enhance your learning facilities.
Come visit us at our booth (413) to chat about your projects and ideas for your school district’s needs.
You can visit Academic Projects on our website here.
You can learn more about the PASBO Conference here.
Congratulations to the Council Rock School District on its Newly Renovated Holland Middle School!
SCHRADERGROUP is excited to have attended Council Rock School District’s Dedication Ceremony for the newly renovated Holland Middle School.
Dr. Robert Fraser, the Superintendent of Schools for Council Rock School District, articulated it best when he welcomed the audience to the “newly renovated, expanded and beautiful”–Holland Middle School… A school that belongs to everyone at the Council Rock Community and a school to be proud of”.
This project represents a tremendous transformation. Many areas of the facility were stripped to the concrete structure and rebuilt as a contemporary facility with 21st Century Learning spaces. Program additions to the current middle school include: an auditorium with balcony seating, new spaces for music, an auxiliary gymnasium, fitness room, additional classrooms and a new administration area. The interior of the building was completely renovated while the exterior of the building was updated with a new, contemporary skin—with new windows that introduce daylight throughout the facility.
SG is proud to have had the opportunity to partner with the Council Rock School District, to design a LEED Gold certified learning environment. The students of the Council Rock School District deserve this facility!
You can watch Dr. Fraser’s speech here.
SCHRADERGROUP Principal Speaks to Arcadia University Doctoral Candidates about Sustainable Learning Environments
SCHRADERGROUP’s Principal, David Schrader, spoke on an expert panel in April about the increasing concerns for our environmental footprint and how academic institutions can participate in sustainability for the future through thoughtful building practices.
Included in that panel was Lorna Rosenburg who currently serves as the Green and Healthy Schools Program manager for US EPA Region 3 Mid-Atlantic and Megan Garner who is the Sustainability Development Manager at the School District of Philadelphia. Ms. Megan Garner provided an in-depth presentation on sustainable design practices currently undertaken by the School District of Philadelphia.
Mr. David Schrader provided a lengthy presentation on the benefits of sustainable design practices for educational facilities. The presentation included descriptions of various techniques for integrating sustainable design as well as the concept of the “School as a Teacher Tool.”
The panel’s presentation was well received. After the presentation, there was open discussion and questions from the Doctoral Candidates about the information provided by the panel.
SCHRADERGROUP has applied many of these sustainability design practices to our projects and approach all new projects with sustainability in mind especially to the degree that the stakeholders would want.
Some examples of sustainable initiatives commonly incorporated includes:
- high efficiency HVAC and control systems including central monitoring and automatic control systems
- ground source heat pumps
- solar hot water heater systems
- optimized energy performance
- gray water systems
- rain gardens (aiding with storm water control)
- storm water quantity/quality control
- reduced impervious coverage
- underground infiltration basins
- stormtech and bioswale recharge system combined with detention basins
- native plant landscaping
- high albedo / reflective roof systems for reduction of heat island effect
- operable windows
- roof monitors (allowing for bilateral daylight within classrooms and greatly reducing the need for artificial lighting)
- interior lighting utilizing automatic controls and occupancy sensors
- night sky-friendly lighting for light pollution reduction
- vegetative roof
- building materials with recycled content
- regional materials
- low emitting materials
- low flow, water saving fixtures
- recycled content materials
- certified wood products
- high insulating values for building envelope
- construction activity pollution protection and waste management
- where appropriate, reuse of existing furniture and equipment
- coordination of building energy commissioning
- acoustical analysis and design
Learn more on some of the projects we have applied sustainability design practices to:
- Bristol Township School District, New Elementary Schools
- Council Rock School District, Middle School Additions and Renovations
- Baltimore City Public Schools, Elementary/Middle School Additions and Renovations
- York Suburban School District, Elementary School New Facility
- State College Area School District, Elementary School Additions and Renovations
- State College Area School District, New Elementary School
- Bucks County Community College, County Campus Expansion and Renovations
- School District of Philadelphia, Engineering and Science High School Additions and Renovations