School Gets Fresh Start as Major Project Breaks Ground in Nation’s Capitol

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — The project team recently broke ground on the $124 million Ballou Senior High School project in Washington, D.C., which will replace the original 1950s school building.

The project is a joint venture between Washington, D.C.-based Chiaramonte Construction and Gaithersburg-based HESS Construction. The team was selected by the Department of General Services as the design-builder for the new facility. The project is being designed by Bowie Gridley Architects and PGN Architects, both based in Washington, D.C., as well as San Francisco-based Perkins + Will.

Located on a 16.5-acre site and covering 350,000 square feet of space, the project will include a three-story design with over 90 classrooms. The expansive project is also seeking LEED Gold certification upon completion.

The school serves students grades 9-12 in a neighborhood in southeastern Washington, D.C., which has a reputation of high crime, drugs and violence. Recognizing this, the design team approached the project with the students in mind and wanted to provide them a fresh, new building for a clean start. The design will include X-ray machines at the school’s entrances in order to help create and monitor a safe environment for students who come from the economically disadvantaged community.

The school will feature high-performance glazing, enhanced lighting controls and the use of materials that emit lower volatile organic compounds, according to HESS Construction.

The project has been running smoothly, according to HESS, although there were some early issues that resulted in increased construction in order to alleviate the problem. There were unsuitable soils underneath the building pad that caused the construction team to incorporate caissons into the foundation design in order to overcome the issue, according to Todd Ward, vice president of educational facilities and services for HESS.

Students were told about the new school when architects visited the school on May 10, 2012 and gave the students details about the project. Since then, students, staff and the community have been anxiously awaiting the school’s completion, scheduled for 2015.

Eye-Catching Interiors
• Fine arts center
• State-of-the-art auditorium
• Two-story cafeteria
• More than 90 classrooms
• 13 science and biotechnology labs
• Multiple computer labs
• Exhibition-style teaching kitchen
• Auto-tech lab
• Group learning spaces
• Spacious courtyard
• Library
• Band room
• Media production studio
• Parent resource center
• Childcare center
• Health/dental center
• Athletic wing with indoor track, pool, gym, classrooms and fitness center