Tour DC's FIRST Mass Timber Community Center /  by Rick Schneider

The Arboretum Community Center is the first of its kind in the nation’s capital. Mass Timber in the form of CLT and GLT was used as a design tool to get closer to Carbon Net Neutrality for a net carbon reduction of 30% while also bringing warmth to the gymnasium. Biophilic design is intertwined with strategies like daylighting, passive design, natural ventilation, solar power, and stormwater management to deliver a high-performance building that is ready to meet Net Zero Energy requirements.

2.00 LUs/HSW/GBCI/RIBA For more info on this event visit AIA.

Van Ness Elementary Wins AIA|DC Award /  by Rick Schneider

Van Ness Elementary School with its rooftop curriculum gardens and outdoor classroom was cited at the annual AIA|DC Design Awards. The gardens + classroom are a nice way to enliven on often overlooked space, especially in urban areas where square footage is at a premium. Perforated metal panel wraps the exterior stair, extending up to fold over the stair to provide shade for the rooftop classroom. It’s a great place for STEM lessons that utilize the curriculum gardens.

For more about the school click here.

Arboretum Selected for AIA Nat'l Tour /  by Rick Schneider

We’re honored to be selected to represent Washington DC with a tour at the AIA Conference in June. The Arboretum Community Center is one of the city’s first mass timber projects - and the first for DC Dept of General Services. Come hear about how the project went together “like tinker toys” in the words of the builder. Stay tuned for details on the date and time.

2023 Recap: Looking Back and Giving Thanks /  by istudio

Our studio looks back with gratitude on the meaningful work we accomplished in 2023 and the recognition that came with it. We celebrated another birth in January and added to the studio team in June. Some highlights:

Arboretum Wins 2023 Global Future Design Award /  by Rick Schneider

Interior of the Mass Timber gym. Credit: Anice Hoachlander

We are proud to share that Arboretum Recreation Center is the recipient of the 2023 Global Future Design Awards. The project won Gold in a globally recognized awards program with over 1,400 registrants. Arboretum is DC General Services’ and Parks + Rec’s first #masstimber project.

Creating a thoughtful expansion of an original “Mission 66” Field House, the project integrates biophilic design principles, intertwined with strategies like daylighting, passive design, natural ventilation, and solar power to deliver a high-performance building that is ready to meet Net Zero Energy requirements. Mass Timber in the form of CLT and GLT was used as a design tool to get closer to Carbon Net Neutrality for a net carbon reduction of 30% while also bringing warmth to an otherwise often stark typology. Other green features include solar ready roof, green roof, rain gardens, and integrated stormwater management.

For more about Arboretum, Click Here. See the award announcement here: Global Future Design Awards 2023

Credit: Anice Hoachlander

Credit: Anice Hoachlander

Students Tour DC's First Mass Timber Community Center /  by istudio

We recently hosted a joint tour of Arboretum Community Center for architecture students from regional universities, including Virginia Tech’s WAAC campus, and Catholic University’s School of Architecture. Our own Sara Al Khatib and founder Rick Schneider hosted the tour, diving deep to teach students about sustainable community design, net zero energy standards, and mass timber. The project, in partnership with DC’s Department of General Services and Department of Parks and Recreation, is the city’s first mass timber recreation center. An addition to the original “Mission 66” Field House, the project added a new wing including a multi-purpose space, computer lab, fitness room, and gym. The mass timber gym successfully reduced the carbon footprint by 30%, working to achieve Carbon Net Neutrality.

Students learned about sustainable strategies integrated within the project, from stormwater management to daylighting, and we discussed the design and cost implications of using these methods in the project. Students even paused to shoot hoops in the new gym! Thank you to Catholic University professor Jaime Van Mourik, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP for arranging the tour, and we look forward to hosting future classes!

Read more about the project here: https://www.istudioarchitects.com/arboretum

Awards and Publications:

2021 Rethinking the Future Award, Public Building Concept

2021 Global Future Design Awards, Second Award for Institutional Architecture Concept

Arboretum Wins 2023 NAIOP Award

ISTUDIO Visits Blacksburg for Annual VT Board Meeting /  by Rick Schneider

Staff Designer, Maggie Dunlap, recently attended the Virginia Tech combined Virginia Tech College of Architecture, Arts, and Design Celebration of Generosity dinner and board meeting in Blacksburg, VA. Both Maggie and our founder, Rick Schneider, are Virginia Tech alumni and serve on the Firm Advisory Board of Virginia Tech's Washington Alexandria Architecture Center.

We loved seeing innovative student work in the studio, connecting with other alumni and school leadership, as well as hearing about Dean Liu's vision for AAD's future. We’re looking forward to another productive and inspiring year contributing to the alumni community!

Arboretum Wins 2023 NAIOP Award /  by Rick Schneider

We are proud to share that Arboretum Recreation Center is the recipient of the 2023 Award of Excellence for Best Institutional Facility from NAIOP’s DC + Maryland Chapter. Arboretum is DC General Services’ and Parks + Rec’s first #masstimber project. NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association recognizes outstanding projects, firms, and members in the region.

The project integrates biophilic design principles, intertwined with strategies like daylighting, passive design, natural ventilation, and solar power to deliver a high-performance building that is ready to meet Net Zero Energy requirements. Mass Timber in the form of CLT and GLT was used as a design tool to get closer to Carbon Net Neutrality for a net carbon reduction of 30% while also bringing warmth to an otherwise often stark typology. Other green features include solar ready roof, green roof, rain gardens, and integrated stormwater management.

For more about Arboretum, Click Here. See the award announcement here: 2023 Awards of Excellence Winners - NAIOP DC | MD (naiopdcmd.org)

Part of the team, including Hamza Hamdeh, Tanja Werner, and Joseph Sandor

Detail of the bronze metal screen wall. Credit: Anice Hoachlander

Kingman Island Wins AIA Maryland Award /  by Rick Schneider

We are proud to announce that Kingman Island Environmental Education Center is the recipient of AIA Maryland’s 2023 Excellence in Design Awards! Winning an Honor Award in the Unbuilt Architecture, Non-Commissioned category, the jury (from AIA Connecticut) praised the graphic delivery and attention to natural materiality. In their comments, the jury wrote:

“Beautifully presented with elegant renderings and handsome diagrams, this theoretical project is an excellent response to its program and mission. Natural forms and materials combine as an essential aspect of its design demonstrating the intertwining symbiotic relationship between architecture and ecosystems.”

See the announcement and awards presentation here: AIA Maryland 2023 Excellence in Design Awards

Interested in the project? See more here: Kingman Island Environmental Education Center

Van Ness ES celebrated at NoVa AIA Awards /  by Rick Schneider

The Northern Virginia AIA chapter hosted a very well-organized evening honoring regional architecture and design - including an Award of Merit for the Van Ness Elementary School. The judges cited the team’s materials selection and architectural moves in creating “an incredible… academic campus environment.” Also celebrated were the “layered elements of space” and “the beautiful [rooftop] outdoor education space”. Many thanks to Lorin Boswell and Jaclyn S. Toole and the entire team for a wonderful event! For more about Van Ness, click here

For more see the video clip here: NoVa AIA Judge's Comments

Feature on Van Ness Elementary School /  by Rick Schneider

Check out this piece on Van Ness ES in the latest Metal Architecture. Said design award judge Yen Ong, FAIA, “The way they tie the brick and the metal is remarkable, and the relationship of the transparency of the perforated metal panel and then the solid metal panel and then the solid brick seems like the progression is done very well and it all ties together very well.” On the Design Path | Metal Architecture

Van Ness ES Wins Metal Architecture Design Award /  by Rick Schneider

Metal Architecture has announced the 2023 Design Awards - and Van Ness Elementary School is a winner! Rooftop Gardens, smart stormwater management, and a covered outdoor classroom define the design of this LEED-S compliant green school in Southeast Washington DC.

Judge Arnold Swanborn, AIA, LEED AP, design principal, CO Architects, Los Angeles, said, “There's just sort of a simple elegance about it. It has a scalar relationship to the neighborhood ... They have this very simple sort of elegant solution to the addition, and it is quite nice architecturally.”

photos by Kris Ilich and ISTUDIO

2023 Design Award Winners | Metal Architecture

At the 4 x 4 = 16 Exhibit /  by Rick Schneider

The team celebrates 4 women architects from Peru in the 4x4=16 exhibit. Hosted by AIA DC's Design Excellence Committee at the Catholic University Crough Center, events included a film screening and panel discussion.

Our own Maggie Dunlap helped organize the event - “We loved seeing the amazing contributions of these designers, and although their work spans a diverse range of typologies, we noticed how each panelist chose to describe themselves as "communitarians", dedicated to creating projects that honor their environment, culture, and communities - an ethos that we can relate to within our own work.”

Stay tuned for the next event in November, featuring designers from Chile...come join us!

Maggie Dunlap Joins the Studio /  by Rick Schneider

Welcome Maggie Dunlap to our team! With a Master’s degree in Architecture from Virginia Tech’s WAAC campus, Maggie has experience in a range of project types including multi-family, mixed-use commercial, and residential, as well as academic and cultural master planning. As a LEED GA, she shares ISTUDIO’s commitment to sustainability and believes in the importance of using research to make informed design decisions to create a more equitable, vibrant, and resilient built environment. Outside of work she enjoys hiking, travelling, finding new museums, reading, and napkin sketching!

Solar Chimneys are a First for DC Public Schools /  by Rick Schneider

Powell Elementary School boasts the DC public school system’s first solar chimneys – designed to emulate and improve on a similar system in the historic 1929 building. Each solar chimney is connected to a rooftop weather station with indicator lights in each classroom — telling the students to open the windows when conditions are right. Signage in the hallway explains how they work in levelled language for different grades. Passive strategies and energy-efficient systems impact operational carbon while reuse of the historic building helps reduce embodied carbon.

The solar chimneys were designed w/ the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models to provide cool fresh air without the use of any energy. Results for the classroom wing solar chimneys alone are an additional 5.2% savings on energy above the already high baseline or 2% to the overall project. 

Daylight and fresh air define the architecture of Powell elementary School – part of a biophilic approach that promotes connection with the cycle of the day and changing of the seasons.

For more about the project and the AIA National Award of Excellence see Powell Elementary School — ISTUDIO Architects