SHEPHERD PARK COMMUNITY CENTER

Owner
DC Department of General Services

DC Department of Parks and Recreation

DC Public Schools

Location
Washington, DC

Awards
2022 American School and University Outstanding Design: Community Use

LEED
LEED Gold targeted

Scale
17,500 sf

Program Value
$10.5 Million

Completion
2021

BELL Architects modified portions of the 1930s existing historic Shepherd Elementary School while adding a 12,634 gsf addition. The new addition transformed an asphalt and inaccessible weeded slope into a multipurpose facility. The Shepherd Park Community Center addition met another challenge: it now facilitates a weekday educational program with after-hours community activities. The project successfully integrates mandates from three DC agencies while providing the community with substantial opportunities for diverse uses. The approach created a pavilion in the park as addition to the school, scaled to fit the neighborhood along a steeply sloped residential street. Through smart technology, the new addition flips in the evening for the community’s use, providing a 5,640 sf gymnasium, fitness center, multipurpose room, and two dedicated kitchens. The project exceeds the LEED Silver goals, targeted as LEED Gold, and provides shared spaces for the school and community activities with close to net-zero energy performance.