Page 40 - Fall 2019

Central atrium of the Powell Elementary School.
Photo © ISTUDIO Architects

Outdoor classroom. New wing of the Powell Elementary School.
Photo © Anice Hoachlander/Hoachlander Davis Photography Photo © Anice Hoachlander/Hoachlander Davis Photography

Chapter Design Award in Architecture/ as a way to teach science, breakout spaces for small groups of
Citation for Sustainable Design students, opportunities for teachers and students to have one-on-
one sessions, and facilities for teaching larger groups of students.
Powell Elementary School The idea extends to circulation between different areas: a variety
Washington, DC of scales and characters of corridors and stairways is desirable.
ISTUDIO’s renovation and expansion of Powell Elementary
ISTUDIO Architects includes all of these elements, plus dramatic-but-purposeful
architecture that Schneider believes stimulates children in its own
Structural Engineers: Simpson Gumpertz & Heger
right. When the architects were doing a survey of the oldest building,
MEP/F Engineers: Setty & Associates, Ltd.
built in 1929, they discovered a long-abandoned passive ventilation
Civil Engineers/Landscape Architects: AMT, LLC
system working on the principle of a solar chimney. This feature,
Geotechnical/Hazmat Consultants: ECS Corporate Services, LLC
which used the Georgian Revival cupola as its “chimney,” was
Playscape Specialists: Symbiosis, Inc.
brought back on line, and more sophisticated versions were
LEED Consultant: Dan Triman; Sustainable Design Consulting
included in the new wings, with modern solar chimneys becoming
IT/AV Consultant: Education Systems Planning
a distinctive feature of the school’s appearance. This system works
General Contractor: MCN Build
only during shoulder seasons, but it transforms students (and
teachers, for that matter) from passive customers of whatever
Architect Rick Harlan Schneider, AIA, of ISTUDIO Architects, is
cooling or heating is happening, into active participants in a major
an evangelist for the concept of “differentiated learning,” a relatively
building system.
new idea that children learn more effectively if a variety of types of
spaces and facilities are provided. This includes the desks-facing-
The Powell Elementary School was previously featured in the
chalkboard classic, but expands into outdoor classrooms, gardening
Summer 2019 issue of ARCHITECTUREDC.

38 INSTITUTIONAL INVESTMENTS