Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Modernized Community School Reopens as High-Performance, Sustainable

  • 08/28/17

Watkins ElementaryPerkins Eastman DC joined the Office of the Mayor, District Department of General Services (DGS), District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), faculty, students, and the community on Thursday to celebrate the grand opening of the modernized Watkins Elementary School in Washington, DC. Perkins Eastman DC transformed the existing building into a high-performance, 21st-century learning environment serving students in grades 1-5. Watkins is part of the Capitol Hill Cluster, a unique PK-8 that is located in three buildings in the Capital Hill neighborhood.

Sean O’Donnell AIA, LEED AP, Perkins Eastman DC’s Principal-in-Charge, says: “Perkins Eastman DC’s design for the Watkins modernization breathes new life into the existing building, provides much-needed new program space, and connects the school to the community. Through dramatic transformation of the interior plan, creation of a civic presence along Pennsylvania Avenue, connecting the school to the park behind, and incorporation of high-performance design strategies at every opportunity, Watkins Elementary is now a fitting learning environment for students, community, and larger Washington, DC.”

The modernization dramatically transforms the interior of this 1960s-era building through a single-loaded configuration, providing ample daylight and views to the recreation fields. Classrooms—now 35% larger compared to classrooms in the previous double-loaded configuration—are proportioned to accommodate multiple teaching modes and have brightly colored entrance “porches” off the corridor. Shared “commons” spaces feature playful furniture that can be arranged in many configurations for breakout learning and group activities outside the classroom. A FoodPrints outdoor classroom and garden ensure meaningful opportunities for Watkins’ students — and the community in after-hours—to have hands-on, high-quality gardening and cooking experiences and new ways to engage with academic content.

The addition is dramatic inside and out, and increases the lobby and gym/cafeteria by almost double to their previous condition, enhancing their flexibility and creating more opportunities for parent gathering. With large windows and views, the addition connects the school to the park and creates a new civic presence for the school at the front door on 12th Street.

Watkins is currently pending LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

For more information, visit perkinseastman-dc.com.

Featured

  • UT System Board of Regents Approves $108M Housing Complex

    The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently announced the approval of a new, $108-million housing complex at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), according to a news release. The facility will stand four stories and have a total of 456 new beds for freshmen students.

  • Wisconsin District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The School District of La Crosse in La Crosse, Wis., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff of two existing schools, according to local news. Funding for the school comes from a $53-million referendum approved in 2024.

  • UT System Approves First Funds for New Campus

    The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently approved funds to build the first facility of a new campus in far west Fort Worth, Texas, according to university news. UTA West will serve as a branch of the University of Texas at Arlington and is scheduled to open in fall 2028.

  • Utah Valley University Opens New Engineering Building

    Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, recently held a grand-opening ceremony for the new Scott M. Smith Engineering Building, according to a news release. The facility is one of the largest engineering buildings in the state at almost 200,000 square feet, and it plays home to the university’s Smith College of Engineering and Technology (SCET).