Test Time
Construction took place over three and a half years. Maintaining the stability of the historic 7-story masonry façade while everything behind it was demolished required a complicated sequencing plan that dictated the schedule and influenced the building’s structural design. Only two alternating floors could be demolished at a time, and new steel and concrete had to be installed before repeating the sequence on the next two floors. Because the school continued to occupy the campus during construction, new building phases required an imaginative reorganization of available space each summer; at the extreme, the school had to compress its activities into an area that was two-thirds of its full size.
Inside, the adaptive reuse posed more challenges, especially in the horizontal circulation between the 7-story Graham House and the 6-story Delano & Aldrich townhouses. Above the third floor, floor levels lined up almost perfectly. However, significant level differences between the lower floors were reconciled by PBDW Architects via a dramatic open stair that interconnects the old and new buildings and provides unexpected vistas across a series of carefully scaled overlapping spaces. Leading up to a 300-seat performance space and libraries, the stair is the focal point of the new lobby and unifies the more public areas of the campus vertically and horizontally, symbolizing the new heart of the school and helping to foster a sense of community.
To ensure desirable adjacencies, classrooms were strategically redistributed. Paired homerooms are connected by a shared common area and the new STEAM wing puts science and art classrooms in close proximity to informal collaborative workspaces. Warmly furnished Upper and Lower School libraries share a mezzanine level and are lined with cozy window seats, where boys can curl up with a book and dream. Open views between different program spaces allow for cross-disciplinary connections and observation of other students and activities.
Given the location of the historic street entrance in relation to the gym above, the new elevators and egress stair were consigned to a far corner of the half-block campus. To mitigate the resulting long travel paths, corridors were widened, offset, and punctuated with seating nooks and common areas. The multitude of existing windows provide abundant natural light and views to the surrounding urban context. Memorable elements of the buildings, such as stained-glass window panels, chandeliers, and decorative millwork, were salvaged and reused. An intricate Graham House floor mosaic was painstakingly reconstructed in the new lobby.
Fulfilling Its Mission
Although the transformation of the physical campus was unprecedented, the intimate, residential character of the foundational building was maintained throughout as a reflection of the school’s defining culture. The completed project has transformed the entire student and faculty experience. Collaborative learning is the norm. An added dining room has reduced lunch from three periods to two, resulting in greater flexibility for scheduling classes.
Relocation of the athletic facility to this centralized campus has allowed the school day to be shortened by half an hour. Interconnectedness and open views across old and new provide students with a unique physical, as well as intellectual, perspective. The entire school is able to gather in the new performance space for celebrations.
The new building and renovation have created a bright, warm and welcoming environment in the school that is critically conducive to learning. Saint David’s School has realized its 40-year dream of a single campus, enabling the school to fulfill its educational mission and, for the first time in its long history, Graham House is occupied by an institution dedicated to preserving its character.
Retrofit Team
PROJECT AND RESTORATION ARCHITECT: PBDW Architects
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Murray Engineering P.C.
MEP ENGINEER: Skyline Engineering
LIGHTING DESIGNER: Melanie Freundlich Lighting Design
CODE CONSULTANT/EXPEDITER: William Vitacco Associates Ltd.
ACOUSTIC CONSULTANT: Longman Lindsey Acoustical Engineers
THEATER CONSULTANT: P&PFC Inc.
GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEER: GTA
FAÇADE CONSULTANT: Forst Consulting and Architecture PLLC
ELEVATOR CONSULTANT: Iros Elevator Design Services LLC
FOOD SERVICE CONSULTANT: Romano Gatland
SIGNAGE: Piscatello Design Centre
AV CONSULTANT: TM Technology Partners Inc.
MILLWORK: Courtney Wood Products Inc., (610) 393-3794
OWNER’S REPRESENTATIVE: Zubatkin
CONSTRUCTION MANAGER: Hudson Meridian Construction Group
Materials
GEL-BASED TRANSLUCENT SKYLIGHT GLAZING: Solera by Advanced Glazings Ltd.
CARBON-SEQUESTERING CONCRETE MASONRY UNITS: CarbonCure
PRE-FAB ACOUSTICAL ROOMS AND DOORS: IAC Acoustics
ACOUSTICAL WALL PANELS IN PERFORMANCE SPACE: RPG Acoustical Systems
ACOUSTICAL CEILING PANELS IN PERFORMANCE SPACE: Claro by Decoustics
OPERABLE GLASS PARTITIONS: NanaWall
BULLET-RESISTANT GLASS: School Guard Glass
CUSTOM RESTORATION WINDOWS: Skyline Restoration
FIRE-RATED GLASS: Technical Glass Products EXTERIOR CURTAINWALL ASSEMBLIES: YKK AP
BRICK: Glen-Gery
WATERPROOFING AND ROOF: Blueskin from Henry
VIBRATION ISOLATION FLOOR SYSTEMS: Mason Industries
VCT: Johnsonite by Tarkett
CARPET: Bentley
WOOD FLOORING: Plyboo
TERRAZZO TILE: Wausau Tile
GYM EQUIPMENT: Draper
RUBBER SPORTS FLOOR: Ecore
PAINT: Benjamin Moore
CLASSROOM PENDANT LINEAR LIGHTS: Verve IV by Focal Point
CORRIDOR SURFACE-MOUNTED LIGHTS: Omnia by Inter-Lux
PHOTOS: FRANCIS DZIKOWSKI