Project Description
To accommodate its growth, Loudoun Country Day School decided to relocate their campus to a new site. First, master planning services were provided and the design team guided the school in choosing a site that would help them meet their goals for sustainability. Second, the first two buildings were designed – a 79,540 sf Lower/Middle School, a Commons, a Theater, and an expanded athletic facility.
The 40-year old independent school had incrementally expanded the number of grades, students and complexity of its program. The existing site was clearly inadequate to support a growing K-8 school and its plans to open an Upper School in the near future.
A 65-acre parcel was acquired and a comprehensive site master plan was developed. The program was derived from the proprietary statistical model developed by Hord Coplan Macht’s Tom Spies, the Paradigm Academy, and extensive discussions with administration, staff, board, alumni, parents and students. In total, the projected 1,000-student school will require 250,000 sf.
The entire campus incorporates principles of sustainable design so that the school structures themselves serve as teaching tools of responsible development. Some examples include: direct exterior views for 90% of occupants, low-E insulating glass in exterior glazing, and a landscape of native species, minimizing the use of water for irrigation.