The St. John Hall Student Center at Choate Rosemary Hall is a new 49,000 square-foot, three-story building that consolidates several important functions that serve students, which are currently located in various buildings on the school’s 400-acre campus. Choate is an independent, co-educational boarding and day school for 860 students in grades 9-12. St. John Hall serves as the hub of student life on campus. The building incorporates 21st Century Learning principals, bringing day students and boarders together in spaces that promote social interaction, collaborative work, and relaxation activities. Having the Deans’ offices in a discrete zone within the building promotes mentoring and counseling within the context of a more informal atmosphere. The LEED Gold facility houses social/gathering and study spaces for all students, locker space for day students, Deans’ offices, spaces for clubs and school publications, a School Store, and a Café. The building is joined to historic Hill House, where 5,000 sf on two-stories have been renovated to provide a suite for the college counseling office.

The Madeira School, a girls’ boarding and day school outside of Washington, DC, selected Bowie Gridley Architects to renovate and expand their five historic dormitory facilities.  Working with the school and its project manager, BGA designed 5,000 sf of additions and 68,460 sf of renovations among the five dorms.  Renovations included adding a second faculty apartment per dorm, upgrading toilet facilities, ADA/life safety upgrades and moving the Commons to the first floor for each dorm.  The addition contains accessory offices and support rooms. The project was completed over two summers in a series of phases. Site work was also part of the renovation project.  The main ‘Oval’ was upgraded to include new granite curbing, paving, plantings and the adjacent quad was redesigned to include more usable gathering spaces.

Lowell School, located on an eight-acre campus adjacent to Rock Creek Park in northwest Washington, DC, made the strategic decision to create a new Middle School (grades 6 through 8) to complement its existing Elementary School program. After an extensive master planning process, BGA concluded that the best solution was to renovate the existing Parkside Building. Lowell intended to grow the middle school program over a three to four year period, so a multi-phased renovation plan was implemented. After a series of modest, carefully targeted interior renovations, the final phase included a major addition and complete renovation/configuration of the existing interior. With a focus on a STEM curriculum—combining inquiry, logical reasoning, collaboration, and investigation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—the new 36,300 sf Parkside Middle School houses classrooms, a science lab and maker spaces, library, art studios, gathering and study spaces, and a black box theater.

The new Edward St. John Student Center on the campus of the McDonogh School, a coeducational day and boarding school, works to establish the southern edge of a new campus quadrangle while also becoming the school’s new “front door”.

• Its entry hall provides a transition from the front door to the new quad and organizes all the building’s program elements around it.
• The new 72,000 sf Student Center provides a variety of campus dining spaces, including a 650-seat grand Dining Hall.
• There are also facilities for student services, administration and the visual and performing arts programs.
• Designed to fit within the context of the oldest buildings on campus, the Student Center features a grand copper cupola, chimneys, red brick and grey stone.

Bowie Gridley Architects was also selected to provide design services for a new STEM education building and renovations to other buildings.

St. Anne’s-Belfield’s Lower/Middle School is designed to accommodate a co-ed student enrollment of 540 in grades Pre-K through 8.

• The building supports a realignment in the school’s structure: the Middle School (5-8) was moved from the Upper School (9-12) and joined with the Lower School (Pre-K-4)
• The concept allowed for the construction of the new building without impact to the existing aging Lower School structure, which has been demolished to make way for a new play field
• The 104,000 square-foot building has been broken down into distinct, traditionally styled, gable-roofed sections to create a smaller scale “village” design and to give visible identity to the various functional anchors
• The facility features the full complement of academic and administrative spaces, as well as a library, dining hall, and 425-seat theater.

BGA restored and expanded the dining hall at St. Catherine’s School as part of a series of renovations addressing space needs in the Upper and Middle Schools.

• Includes a two-story addition with new finishes and furnishings
• The space doubles existing dining spaces, creates a café where students can gather and study and provides a multi-purpose assembly room for up to 350 people
• Modernized kitchen facilities, as well as HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems
• A new entrance foyer creates a gracious, prominent entrance from adjacent parking
• Windows in the existing dining room were converted into generous passages that knit the spaces together
• The design celebrates the school’s traditional Georgian architecture, blending new and old in one harmonious composition.

BGA has also worked with St. Catherine’s to modernize and expand academic facilities to include additional classrooms, science labs, art studios, student gathering spaces and offices.

Bowie Gridley Architects designed additions and renovations to accommodate Beauvoir Elementary’s change in curriculum, program, and teaching space requirements.

• A new two-story addition includes an entrance, library and administration suite, and provides a refreshing new identity
• The existing building has been completely modernized with new systems and computer networking
• The school was redesigned to group grades in shared common space for more flexible teaching
• The project includes new classrooms for Pre-K and Kindergarten, a new gym, expanded art facilities and administrative spaces
• Selected materials including brick and limestone are consistent with the existing materials of the school and surrounding Cathedral Close

The school’s goal was to reorganize existing facilities to accommodate growth in enrollment while modernizing outdated buildings. This was accomplished within the context of significant local zoning restrictions and a tightly bound urban site.

• Along with local firm ORMS, Bowie Gridley completed a master plan study to accomplish this goal
• The study called for a long-term phased approach for modernizing 169,000 sf of existing facilities and constructing new spaces
• The first phase was an addition for physical education, athletic, art and high school programs
• The project includes two multi-purpose gymnasiums, changing rooms, a weight training center and administrative space
• Art classrooms are provided on the second floor, with the third floor housing a new high school classroom facility
• The louvres were designed to ensure privacy for neighboring homes while providing the school with energy-efficient sun-shading