mobile logo

Archive

September 6, 2018
in
by John W

Lab School Master Plan

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] The Lab School of Washington Washington, DC   The Lab School of Washington serves students with learning differences through an experiential, art-based educational model that seeks alternatives to traditional classroom instruction. Despite this unique approach, much of its core academic space was being housed ad-hoc in a former dormitory building. In conjunction with their strategic planning, GBR was engaged to reevaluate and reimagine the school’s facilities to properly support its mission.   This planning process began with a highly collaborative charrette that invited a broad cross section of stakeholders to imagine an ideal campus for The Lab School. At that same time, GBR performed a campus-wide space audit. Working with the client, a series of classroom prototypes and benchmarks were established to clearly delineate the delta between the current campus and the ideal state.   The campus planning was guided by the need to create a clear and appropriate identity for each of the school’s three academic...

Continue Reading
September 6, 2018
in
by John W

German School Science Building

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] German School Washington Potomac, Maryland LEED Gold® Merit Award, Washington, DC AIA UnBuilt Awards   This unique independent school serves the local German language community in the DC Metro area with a curriculum according to German educational standards. The new building provides modern laboratories and support spaces as the new home for the science department. The building and surrounding landscape design reflect the school's commitment to healthy and enriching places for learning while keeping utility and maintenance costs at a minimum. The building further synthesizes the school’s science program with the tangible and quantifiable building technology by embracing light, thermodynamics, acoustics, and environmental and hydrological systems as core design parameters.   The completed facility achieved LEED gold level certification. It is the first phase of a two phased campus enlargement to create a stand-alone upper school. The original campus was organized in a series of terraced levels. The new structure bridges two of these levels to provide an...

Continue Reading
September 6, 2018
in
by John W

St. Philip Catholic Church

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Diocese of Arlington Falls Church, Virginia   Constructed in the 1960's, the space was originally designed to serve the dual functions of worship and school gymnasium. As its use evolved to become the permanent sanctuary, GBR was engaged to design a renovation to transform the existing space into one of serenity and peace with a richly layered, architecturally progressive character that creates a welcoming spiritual home for the congregation.   As a visual reminder of the link between the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist, all of the major liturgical elements in the renovated church are on axis.  This begins with the ambry containing the holy oils; to the font in the baptistry; to the sanctuary and altar.  The font at St. Philip was designed in the style of the early Church.  In the center of the octagonal  baptistry is a Greek cross with equidistant sides.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]...

Continue Reading
September 6, 2018
in
by sean

Lab School Student Commons

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] The Lab School of Washington Washington, DC   This project entailed the adaptive reuse of an antiquated cafeteria and commercial kitchen. Although centrally located, the space was entirely under-utilized. With the majority of students spending their lunchtime in the classroom, the cafeteria space was primarily used for dance, creative movement, and gymnastics. Given its central location, students would still often circulate through the space at various times of the school day. The location, and its proximity to the outdoor courtyard, provided an opportunity to recapture this area for a broader and more appropriate use.   GBR Architects transformed the dark and unwelcoming space into a café-like Commons to be used throughout the day for a variety of activities: lunchtime for students, gatherings before and after school, additional instructional and presentation space, meetings with faculty and parents, and extra-curricular events like dances and small assemblies. Furniture was selected to provide for maximum flexibility, including a custom-designed...

Continue Reading
September 6, 2018
in
by sean

Saint George’s Nave Renovation

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Saint George's Episcopal Church Arlington, Virginia   Saint George’s Episcopal Church has served the Arlington community for over 100 years. The original church building on this site was erected in 1911. The church grew with many additions over the years: Parish Hall in 1933, Nave in 1952, Organ Chamber in 1955, Administration Wing in 1958, and expanded in 1996. Since 1975, the original 1911 chapel has served as a worship  space to La Iglesia San José.   GBR was initially engaged for planning services to determine the best use for current space and to consider if another expansion was necessary. After evaluation of needs and budgets, it was determined to focus on renovation of the three main spaces: Nave, Parish Hall and Chapel. For sacred spaces, such as this, generations of families have attended worship, weddings, and baptisms, so preserving the architectural character of the spaces was a top priority.   The focus of the renovation was...

Continue Reading
September 5, 2018
in
by sean

Spencer Center for Civic and Global Engagement

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Mary Baldwin University Staunton, Virginia   The Spencer Center for Civic and Global Engagement was in need of home that would give the newly created program a prominent visual presence on campus. The Center provides a resource to engage and challenge students to seek out service opportunities locally, nationally, and globally. The program also focuses on bringing students from diverse backgrounds into the Mary Baldwin community.   Strategically positioned at the center of campus along the primary campus pedestrian spine, the Center is named in honor of former president, Sam Spencer.  This student-focused facility occupies a storefront that was the former campus computer center. It leverages its location at a major crossroad of pathways used daily by students.  In response to this core campus location, the center is visually open to those passing by, revealing its intent on student engagement to all.  This transparent connection is the first glimpse of what the student will find...

Continue Reading
September 1, 2018
in
by sean

Pearce Science Center

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Mary Baldwin University Staunton, Virginia   Pearce Science Center had received only minor updates since its original construction in 1970. In the Campus Master Plan completed by GBR Architects, Pearce was noted to be generally adequate in size, but greatly in need of modernization to effectively support the sciences at Mary Baldwin. In order to provide an updated science facility, GBR began with a feasibility assessment to explore options for siting a replacement building and repurposing Pearce to house other academic programs. After consideration of multiple scenarios, it was decided that a phased renovation of Pearce would provide the most cost-effective solution.   The design strategy for the renovation leveraged the positive aspects of the original building by modernizing many existing functions in their current location.  At the same time, the plan transformed the character of the building into a modern collaborative learning environment. The imperatives for the project were to enhance opportunities for student...

Continue Reading
September 1, 2018
in
by John W

Lab School Library

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] The Lab School of Washington Washington, DC Award of Merit, AIA Northern Virginia   The Lab School Washington serves students with learning differences through a unique art-based education that seeks alternatives to traditional classroom instruction. This project provided a new library and media center that facilitates multiple methods for learning while still celebrating the importance of books as part of a complete educational experience. Three existing classrooms were set aside to create a library of 4000 volumes. While budget and space constraints were tight, the real challenge was designing a library for a student population for whom words can be indecipherable puzzles and libraries a mystery.   Careful study of the space needed for circulation and book perusal revealed that double-sided rotating bookcases would hold twice the amount of books and also eliminate clutter.  These rotating bookcases also proved to be enjoyable and appealing to the children.  The optimized bookcase arrangement coincided with the buildings existing...

Continue Reading
August 27, 2018
in
by John W

Mary Baldwin Master Plan

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Mary Baldwin University Staunton, Virginia   GBR Architects developed a campus master plan for Mary Baldwin University in support of a recently adopted strategic plan. The planning focused on their historic main campus in Staunton, Virginia that houses the Residential College for Women. GBR’s engagement began with a thorough assessment of the existing campus and its ability to support the university’s current and future program needs. GBR worked extensively with a broad variety of stakeholders and with the institution’s leadership team to establish a series of guiding principles that would inform future decision-making.   A significant challenge for the master plan was to stitch together existing fragmented campus districts into one cohesive environment. The most notable gap in the fabric was the link between the highly active historic campus and the rambling upper campus (a 35-acre former military academy). Over the years the two independent campuses had grown back-to-back. Despite the acquisition of the land...

Continue Reading
August 25, 2018
in
by sean

Senior Wing Renovation

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Saint Anselm's Abbey Washington, DC   Built in the early 1940s as housing for novices, this portion of the Saint Anselm’s Abbey monastery has served many uses over the years. The original wing had twelve dormitory rooms with a large ganged bathroom at the center. Very shortly after construction, the novices were moved out and the wing served as the High School from 1942 until 1955. After the school moved to a new building, the space served a variety of purposes including a barber shop, library, vocation office, mail room, and housing for monks with special needs. In order to better provide for their aging population, the Abbey engaged GBR Architects to repurpose the space once again into a dedicated senior wing.   The renovation created six independent living units consisting of a bedroom and private bathroom, with five of the bathrooms being fully ADA accessible. Also included in the renovation were an ADA accessible...

Continue Reading

Address

123 N Pitt Street, Suite 300

Alexandria, VA 22314

Contact

Email: GBRA@gbrarch.com
Phone: 703.836.9775

Follow Us