For the construction of this new campus, the buildings had to be completely redesigned to meet the requirements of the high school.  The property consists of three adjacent commercial buildings. Redevelopment plans called for the gut renovation of 34,000 SF in the adjoining three-story buildings and the addition of a 5,000 SF partial fourth floor to accommodate the needs of the growing school.   A 1,900 SF area on the street level was set aside for retail use.   This project combined three structures into one cohesive building that met the programmatic needs of Urban Dove and positively impact the neighborhood by renovating underutilized buildings.   Development of the new layout proved to be the project’s main design challenge.  The buildings have been occupied by a variety of commercial and manufacturing uses, including a billiards café and laundromat on the street level, and a church and dance hall on the upper floors.  It was essential for the new plan to include a high school regulation size basketball court, dance studio, and weight room to address the athletics component of the curriculum as well as comfortable classrooms for academics.   The front façade was modified to present a unified design.

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Size: 39,000 SF
Industry: Education/High School
Role: Architect
Image Credit: Ola Wilk/Peter Wilk Marketing Communications