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_{The New Entrance at Truesdell Elementary School. Photo credit Alan Karchmer}

Located in Ward 4 in the heart of DC’s Brightwood Park neighborhood, the original Truesdell Elementary School consisted of two existing buildings on a naturally sloping, urban site. The campus also serves a diverse population of students locally, with over 300 emerging bi-lingual speakers. Core to the modernization is the provision for community spaces that unify the components of the campus and create a shared sense of placemaking. The Design-Build modernization renovates the existing 1920s-era building, replaces the 1960s-era addition, and constructs a second addition for dedicated specials programming.

The design approach situates the three buildings around a central outdoor courtyard space, maximizing internal connections while preserving a plethora of secure site area for learning and play. The new additions harmonize with the original historic building in massing and materiality, with light connections in the form of glassy corridors that tie the design components together and provide a clear path for circulation. The massing approach also takes advantage of the site’s optimal solar orientation, sloping the new addition’s roof for photovoltaic exposure and bringing maximum daylight into the courtyard and its surrounding interior spaces.

The modernization also reflects the District’s ambitious clean energy goals, with a Net-Zero energy ready approach and pursuing LEED Gold certification. A focus on community building for a diverse student population creates a unified and connected design solution even greater than the sum of its parts.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn about the DCPS modernization process of their existing school portfolio, including its impact on life safety, occupant health, and building performance.
• Anticipate challenges of designing and building a complicated modernization with a historic building component, with consideration for code compliance, structural integrity, and occupant safety.
• Discover ways to create outdoor courtyard spaces that maximize internal connections while preserving secure and protected areas of learning and play, supporting health, safety, and well-being.
• Identify the critical steps in the planning and design process for a high-performance, Net-Zero energy building, including strategies that enhance environmental quality, energy efficiency, and occupant health and safety.

Presented by:

Brian Gruetzmacher, AIA
Senior Associate 
VMDO Architects

Teresa Hamm-Modley, AIA
Associate
VMDO Architects

Lawrence Lazarides, AIA
VMDO Architects

& Committee on Architecture for Education