Bowie Gridley Architects (BGA), a firm recognized for planning and design at leading independent schools throughout the U.S. and internationally, will exhibit at the 2014 NAIS Annual Conference, to be held February 26-28, 2014 at the Swan and Dolphin Resort in Orlando, Fl.

BGA will feature recent planning and design work for independent schools, including facilities for academics, arts, athletics and student life, and offer insights to member schools contemplating growth and renewal of their campuses. BGA representatives, including a principal, will be at booth number 341, to discuss facility planning needs.

The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) will bring together more than 3,500 heads of school, advancement officers, deans, teachers, and other school leaders, from independent schools around the world.

Founded in 1981, Bowie Gridley Architects specializes in work for institutions of community significance – academic and student life facilities, performing arts centers, libraries, athletic and recreational facilities, museums and cultural centers. The architecture, planning and interior design firm is based in Washington, D.C. and works with clients throughout the U.S and abroad.

After a short eight months of design and construction, St. Anne’s Belfield School opened its new Lee-DuVal Dining Hall this week with a celebratory lunch for students, faculty and staff.

The new dining hall seats the entire upper school community, and includes a generous outdoor bluestone terrace with sitting and eating areas. The existing kitchen and servery were also renovated and expanded, including a café for casual eating and gathering.

The new facility at the school’s Greenway Rise (Upper School) Campus contributes to a sense of community while enabling student-faculty interaction outside the traditional classroom environment. Bowie Gridley Architects (BGA) partnered with English Construction to deliver the project using a design-build process that allowed for a completion schedule that was significantly shorter than typical projects.

Bowie Gridley Architects (BGA) has maintained a strong relationship with the Charlottesville-based school, previously developing master plans for both the Lower/Middle School and Upper School campuses.  In addition, BGA designed a new Lower/Middle school that opened in 2010 and a new Upper School Student Commons that was completed in September 2013 at the co-ed independent school.