Page 93 - Winter_2018

ArchDC Winter 2018.qxp_Winter 2018 11/27/18 9:43 AM Page 91

Entrance to the renovated Watkins Elementary School. Photos © Joseph Romeo

Presidential Citation for Sustainable Design

Watkins Elementary School
Renovation
Washington, DC
Perkins Eastman DC
Landscape Architects/Civil Engineers: AMT LLC
Structural Engineers: SK&A Structural Engineers
MEP Engineers: EMx Corporation
Geotechnical: Schnabel Engineering
Acoustical Consultants: Cerami & Associates
AV/IT/Security Consultants: Educational Systems Planning
Food Service Consultants: Nyikos Associates Cafeteria.
Hazardous Materials: Apex Companies
conscious school. The architects began by completely reworking
Specifications: Heller & Metzger
the plan of the academic wing, replacing the dark double-loaded
Cost Estimating: VJ Associates
corridor and cramped classrooms with a more spacious,
Contractor: MCN Build
window-lined circulation space to one side, which serves larger,
more flexible classrooms. The design team also revamped the site
It is often said that the most sustainable building is one that is
plan to integrate the school with an adjacent DC Parks and
already built. Sometimes, however, it can be hard for the public
Recreation facility and playing field. Besides the environmental
to imagine how a thoroughly outdated structure could be updated
value of preserving most of the existing building, the school
to meet contemporary expectations. Such was the case with the
advances the cause of sustainability by optimizing daylighting,
Watkins Elementary School in DC’s Capitol Hill neighborhood,
reducing unwanted heat gain, and providing outdoor learning
which many nearby residents wanted to see demolished
environments including a teaching garden.
and replaced.
Watkins Elementary was previously featured in the Spring
A renovation by Perkins Eastman DC successfully converted
2018 issue of ARCHITECTUREDC.
this obsolete facility into a bright, sophisticated, and environmentally-
SPECIAL MENTIONS 91