Summer School

Like so many disruptions, the pandemic brought a flurry of activity for our K-12 school clients. For the past three years GBR Architects has been deeply involved in capturing and creating meaningful changes for schools during their summer break.  This involves advanced planning to design, permit and contract for construction in advance of the “summer window.” Perhaps the most challenging has been at Gonzaga College High School at the foot of the Capitol grounds.  Here, school activities never fully stop. Summer is full of on-going school activities from academic focused programming to advancement, admissions and pre-season athletics. Gonzaga never sleeps! 

GBR Architects has not only been challenged with these fast-paced construction phases of summer, 12 weeks maximum, but also returning to repurpose areas from our very first project on campus over 2 decades ago.  Most of all it remains fulfilling to find our previous design work 20+ years ago still relevant and serving today’s students.  Since summer of 2020, the following projects have been completed and continue to support academic achievement and faculty needs on campus.

Kohlmann – summer 2020

Renovated existing boys’ restroom which is on a heavily used hallway leading from the adjacent cafeteria.  Improvements included all new fixtures, new wall and floor tile plus new lighting and ventilation.  GBR recommended opening the entry to allow better flow of students which greatly improves access to this heavily-used space.

Carmody Coaches Locker Room – summer 2020

The 1960’s era locker room for coaches and male faculty was completely overhauled to eliminate unused facilities and make space for additional capacity. Improvements included new lockers, all new fixtures, new showers, new wall and floor tile and new lighting throughout.

Network Operations Center and Physics Classrooms – summer 2021

Originally designed in 1998, the Network Operations Center was far larger than needed for current technology.  First, the NOC was relocated to make space for a new MakerSpace described below. Two former stepped classrooms, also part of the 1998 renovation by GBR Architects, were repurposed as Physics classrooms for AP students.

MakerSpace and Innovation Commons

Located at the center of the largest academic building, the former NOC is now the home to an up to date MakerSpace and Innovation Commons.  This area, along with incorporation of an adjacent classroom, provides much needed space for students to focus on technology, team work and creative thinking to master tasks.  See images.