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
| Jul 11, 2013
Bill to borrow more for college spending in Michigan criticized due to ‘higher-ed bubble’
An amendment to a Michigan appropriations budget authorizes an increase in state debt to pay for state university construction projects. But some experts see a “higher education bubble” on the horizon, and said more taxpayer debt for more buildings is a bad idea.
| Jul 2, 2013
LEED v4 gets green light, will launch this fall
The U.S. Green Building Council membership has voted to adopt LEED v4, the next update to the world’s premier green building rating system.
| Jul 1, 2013
Report: Global construction market to reach $15 trillion by 2025
A new report released today forecasts the volume of construction output will grow by more than 70% to $15 trillion worldwide by 2025.
| Jun 28, 2013
Building owners cite BIM/VDC as 'most exciting trend' in facilities management, says Mortenson report
A recent survey of more than 60 building owners and facility management professionals by Mortenson Construction shows that BIM/VDC is top of mind among owner professionals.
| Jun 20, 2013
Virtual meetings enhance design of University at Buffalo Medical School
HOK designers in New York, St. Louis and Atlanta are using virtual meetings with their University at Buffalo (UB) client team to improve the design process for UB’s new School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.
| Jun 17, 2013
DOE launches database on energy performance of 60,000 buildings
The Energy Department today launched a new Buildings Performance Database, the largest free, publicly available database of residential and commercial building energy performance information.
| Jun 12, 2013
More than 90% of New York City schools have code violations
More than 90% of New York City schools have at least one outstanding building code violation. Loose wires, stuck doors and inadequate ventilation are just some of the problems.
| Jun 12, 2013
5 building projects that put the 'team' in teamwork
The winners of the 2013 Building Team Awards show that great buildings cannot be built without the successful collaboration of the Building Team.
| Jun 12, 2013
Sacred synergy achieves goals for religious education [2013 Building Team Award winner]
A renovation/addition project at Columbia Theological Seminary unites a historic residence hall with a modern classroom facility.
| Jun 11, 2013
Music/dance building supports sweet harmony [2013 Building Team Award winner]
A LEED Gold project enhances a busy Chicago neighborhood, meeting ambitious criteria for acoustical design and adaptability.