Shepherd Park Community Center

Design Team
Contractor: MCN Build (Design-Build Contractor); Dan Triman (LEED Consultant); Genesys Impact (IT/Security Consultant)

A-E team: BELL Architects (Architect); S Street Structural Engineering (Structural Engineer); Wiles Mensch Corporation DC (Civil Engineer and Landscape Architect); Global Engineering Solutions (MEP Engineer); Cerami & Associates (Acoustical Consultant); Nyikos Garcia Associates Inc. (Food Service Consultant); Associated Spec Consultants (Specification Writer); ECS Capitol Services PLLC (Geotechnical Engineer); WSP USA Buildings Inc. (Envelope Consultant); KTA (Commissioning Agent); Lightbox Energy (Solar PV Contractor)

Artists: Andrew Antonaccio, Caren Frost Olmsted, Luis Peralta Del Valle, Shaunte Gates, Jennifer Wagner

BELL Architects modified portions of the 1930s historic Shepherd Elementary School and designed a 12,634-square-foot addition. The addition transforms an asphalt and inaccessible weeded slope into a multipurpose facility.

The Shepherd Park Community Center addition meets another challenge: It now facilitates a weekday educational program with after-hours community activities.

The project successfully integrates mandates from three Washington, D.C., agencies while providing the community with substantial opportunities for diverse uses. The approach created a pavilion in the park as an addition to the school. It is scaled to fit the neighborhood along a steeply sloped residential street.

Through smart technology, the addition flips in the evening for the community’s use, providing a 5,640-square-foot gymnasium, fitness center, multipurpose room, and two dedicated kitchens. The project exceeds LEED Silver goals, and is aiming for LEED Gold certification.

The center provides shared spaces for school and community activities with close to net-zero energy performance.

Additional Information

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