Brent Elementary School
Courtesy of District of Columbia Public Schools
Location: Washington, DC
Client: Moya Design Partners
Owner: District of Columbia Public Schools
Size: 89,000 SF
Axias Role: Cost Estimating (Conceptual Design)
Built in 1968, Brent Elementary School is located in the Capitol Hill Historic District and serves students from pre-kindergarten through grade 5. In 2019, Brent’s enrollment was 447 students. Based on DC Office of Planning population data, the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) student enrollment team expects that number to swell to 577 students by school year 2025-2026. Responding proactively, DCPS engaged a design team to provide Phase 1 services—conceptual design through schematic design—that addressed modernization and expansion options for accommodating growth and creating an energy efficient, 21st century learning environment.
The selected design team, led by Moya Design Partners and Hord Coplan Macht, first conducted a thorough analysis of the site and program. The site poses challenges in that it is small in terms of outdoor space per student. One of the core project goals is a solution that maximizes all available outdoor space for student use while meeting the required square footage outlined in the educational specification. Another important goal is for the proposed renovation and building addition to receive LEED certification.
Presented in December 2019, the concept narrative advanced three options. Concept A, “3 Neighborhoods” spoke to the value of reusing a portion of the existing structure and reducing the carbon footprint. Concept B, “Library as a Beacon” emphasized the value of purposeful architectural gestures and energy efficiency. Concept C, “Eyes on the City” stressed the value of a compact building footprint. Each of the concepts would nearly double the gross square footage, from 46,000 to up to 89,000 square feet.
Axias was responsible for producing cost estimates for each of the three design concepts. The project was put on hold due to COVID-19 before a concept was selected.