Two Rivers Public Charter School is a network of high-performing public charter schools in Washington DC. The new 30,000 SF expansion - now the middle school at the Young campus -  is a state-of-the-art facility featuring large classrooms, dedicated common space, a full-sized gymnasium, outdoor courts, sun-filled atrium and the signature ‘sitting steps’ in the foyer. This school serves 6th through 8th graders and is connected to the existing elementary school via an elevated bridge.  Special instruction rooms include art, drama, music, Spanish, science lab, and breakout instructional spaces.

The site in which the building is constructed is bound by a tight property line and a 15’ set back. The design had to fit within this space along with vehicular circulation for the students in a creative way. The use of the cantilevered storefront allows for a welcoming entry and helped us achieve multiple objectives – the covered outdoor seating area protects from inclement weather for the waiting and gathering students before school and a allows for a larger green roof footprint. It allows for more play space behind the building because the building can cover a portion of the drop off circle, and a more welcoming less intrusive face to the street. This new addition is located in a designated watershed zone which requires additional stormwater management measures. In order to meet those requirements, we maximized the green roof by designing a cantilevered corner roof plane, applying a green roof and elevating the multiple VRF mechanical equipment.

The school wanted to ensure future expansion was possible, so the design accommodates additional load capacity for future vertical expansion.