Urban Sites – GBR Architects

September 23, 2018

Milton North Campus Expansion

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School Washington, DC Originally constructed in 1950 and located on a steeply sloped site across from Rock Creek Park, the existing building had been home to the Jewish Day School since 2002. A primary driver for the project was expansion of the school’s academic program to include middle school. GBR’s design retained and renovated the original classroom wing on 16th Street N.W. The existing gymnasium and core areas were removed to allow for a properly sized and equipped gymnasium for middle school students; including a turf recreational field on the roof. The middle school (grades 6 through 8) occupies a new third floor level. A new classroom wing located on the north east edge of the site provides shared space for Art and Music classrooms. The renovation includes upgrades to all building systems and has been designed to achieve LEED® silver certification Contextually, the building aesthetics are intended to quietly...

September 22, 2018

by natasha

Riverside Baptist Church

23[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Riverside Baptist Church Washington, DC The new Riverside Baptist Church replaces the church’s third location in the city. A longstanding institution of DC’s Southwest neighborhood the new church remains a centerpiece of a reimagined waterfront district. Strategically located at a major gateway into the SW neighborhood it will provide a link to the redeveloping waterfront. This location delivers a primary project objective to achieve a significant and expressive structure. The overall building form clearly expresses the three elements of a place of worship; a visible entrance, its identity as a church and clarity in the presence of a worship space. The transparent corner at 7th Street and Maine Avenue visually connects to The Wharf development. The bell tower, a clear and common reference to a Christian church, anchors the corner and is topped by another symbol and identity reference, a cross. The worship space is represented by a wall of glass formed to...

September 21, 2018

by sean

Gonzaga Stadium & Eye Street Plaza

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Gonzaga College High School Washington, DC As the oldest all-boys school in Washington, DC, Gonzaga College High School is proud of its rich history and maintains a deep commitment to its inner-city location. The school’s iconic main façade fronts the first block of I Street, NW. Years ago, the school had acquired the street from the city to use as parking and service access. Facing a series of concerns common for an urban campus – outdoor space for students, athletic fields, appropriate parking, and perimeter security, the school recognized the need to reimagine and redevelop Eye Street along with its football field to create a new campus front door and arrival sequence. The challenge was to resolve these issues while enhancing Gonzaga’s strong sense of tradition. The solution creates a new 1,300-person stadium facility above a 300 car below-grade parking garage. This allowed for redevelopment of Eye Street into a student-focused pedestrian mall. The...

September 12, 2018

by sean

Quaker Welcome Center

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] FCNL Education Fund Washington, DC Located across the street from the U.S. Capitol, the Friends Committee for National Legislation had acquired the 1860s townhouse immediately adjacent to their headquarters. This three story brick building, in the Capitol Hill Historic District, had been modified and expanded over the years; most recently in the 1980s when it was converted into four residential rental units. The program called for creation of a new flexible meeting space on the ground floor while maintaining four rental units on the upper floors. The mission for the new Welcome Center is to provide a peaceful place for dialogue and the promotion of peace, justice, and environmental sustainability. The GBR design preserved the original historic structure fronting C Street N.E. The original first floor parlor was renovated to create a living room style space for small gatherings. The rear addition was removed and re-imagined as a larger flexible meeting space that flows...

September 10, 2018

by John W

Embassy of the Republic of Hungary

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Republic of Hungary Washington, DC In collaboration with the Hungarian design architects of A+D Studio, GBR was the Architect of Record for the renovation and addition to the existing Chancery and new Consulate building for the Hungarian Embassy in Washington, DC. The existing chancery building is a 1970s structure with exposed cast-in-place concrete beams, precast concrete exterior panels and dark interiors. The intent of the work is to give a new and appropriate presence to the embassy, while respectfully relating to the surrounding residential neighborhood and the environmentally sensitive adjacent Rock Creek Park. In an effort to limit the project scope and costs, a decision was made to retain the existing chancery building and alter its architectural character through new cladding combined with additions at the public entry area. The existing facade is re-clad through a combination of pre-patinated copper and large-format porcelain wall panels. The additions help form and emphasize a ceremonial...

September 6, 2018

by John W

Gonzaga Student Commons

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Gonzaga College High School Washington, DC Award of Merit for Excellence in Design, Inform Awards As part of the second phase of campus renovations at Gonzaga College High School, GBR Architects created this new center for student life within the “found space” of a gritty service courtyard. The new infill building also extends across the face of the adjacent athletic center with a shared entrance façade that defines the western edge of the main campus quadrangle. With its open steel frame, exposed ductwork and clean modern details, the inserted building offers a visual counterpoint to the heavy masonry construction that characterizes this historic urban campus. Inside the space, three historic buildings form the edges of an open commons area set on a mezzanine above an expanded dining hall. Clerestory windows bring in abundant daylight and the raw character of the old courtyard is recalled through the use of exposed brick, concrete, structural steel, and...

September 6, 2018

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...

July 15, 2018

by John W

Cantwell and Ruesch Academic Center

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Gonzaga College High School Washington, DC Founded in 1821, this prominent Jesuit high school commissioned GBR Architects to conduct a comprehensive update of its urban campus. The resulting master plan envisioned a series of renovations and additions to provide new academic space, to update technology, and to create a friendly, safe environment by unifying the campus landscape and creating connective spaces between buildings. The initial phase of the campus update renovated two historic buildings that years ago had been acquired by Gonzaga: the 1903 Cantwell Hall (a former grade school), and the former Notre Dame Academy for Girls (now Ruesch Hall). These buildings, with their main facades and street entrances fronting K Street NW and North Capital Street, had their backs turned to the Gonzaga campus on Eye Street. Back doors were used as cramped inlets with student foot traffic traversing an urban alley and in-between the cars of parking lot. To resolve these...

Archive

Milton North Campus Expansion

Riverside Baptist Church

Gonzaga Stadium & Eye Street Plaza

Quaker Welcome Center

Embassy of the Republic of Hungary

Gonzaga Student Commons

Lab School Master Plan

Cantwell and Ruesch Academic Center

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