Stevens & Wilkinson has successfully completed a $52 million renovation and expansion project of the David T. Howard School. The school was originally opened in 1924, closing 52 years later in 1976.
The rehabilitation project began in 2017 and included the renovation of the existing 100,000-sf historic classroom building as well as 108,000 sf of new construction. The new construction will include an administrative wing based on an original design element that was never built, a four-level classroom addition, a media center, an auditorium, a music wing, and a kitchen and cafeteria.
The original buildings historic features, including brick details, interior plaster, and terrazzo materials, were maintained. The new addition connects to the existing building with elements that keep the existing building’s brick visible and joins all the building’s components.
Also included in the project was a significant renovation of the existing gymnasium. The gym’s original steel windows were refurbished, the gym and stage floors were replaced with a wooden sports floor, the original brushed aluminum high bay light fixtures were refitted with high output LEDs, the original wood benches on steel brackets were lightly sanded and sealed, and the locker rooms were redesigned to provide modern facilities and a weight room.
The completed school is a four-story concrete frame building with brick cladding. The floor plan is a “U” shape with corridors connecting the classroom wings. Four stair towers, one at each corner of the building, are expressed on the exterior by taller walls and decorative brick and stone details. The main entrances along the bottom of the “U” are identified by decorative brick and stone details as well.
In addition to Stevens & Wilkinson serving as the lead architecture and engineering firm, Lord Aeck Sargent provided historic rehabilitation, landscape design, and building skin design.
Related Stories
Cladding and Facade Systems | Oct 26, 2021
14 projects recognized by DOE for high-performance building envelope design
The inaugural class of DOE’s Better Buildings Building Envelope Campaign includes a medical office building that uses hybrid vacuum-insulated glass and a net-zero concrete-and-timber community center.
Education Facilities | Oct 20, 2021
Kenneth K.T. Yen Humanities Building completes for The Pennington School
Voith & Mactavish Architects designed the project.
| Oct 14, 2021
The future of mass timber construction, with Swinerton's Timberlab
In this exclusive for HorizonTV, BD+C's John Caulfield sat down with three Timberlab leaders to discuss the launch of the firm and what factors will lead to greater mass timber demand.
University Buildings | Sep 28, 2021
Designing for health sciences education: Specialty instruction and human anatomy labs
It is a careful balance within any educational facility to provide both multidisciplinary, multiuse spaces and special-use spaces that serve particular functions.
| Sep 20, 2021
K-12 school design trends for 2021, with Wold's Vaughn Dierks
K-12 school design exert Vaughn Dierks discusses the latest K-12 school design trends and needs.
Education Facilities | Sep 7, 2021
High-rise public school set for construction in Boston
HMFH is designing the project.
Laboratories | Aug 31, 2021
Pandemic puts science and technology facilities at center stage
Expanding demand for labs and life science space is spurring new construction and improvements in existing buildings.
Giants 400 | Aug 30, 2021
2021 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S.
The 2021 Giants 400 Report includes more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Giants 400 | Aug 26, 2021
2021 University Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the higher education sector
Gensler, AECOM, Turner Construction, and CannonDesign head BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest university sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Resiliency | Aug 19, 2021
White paper outlines cost-effective flood protection approaches for building owners
A new white paper from Walter P Moore offers an in-depth review of the flood protection process and proven approaches.