Two Rivers Public Charter School
1227 4th Street NE, Washington D.C.
2006
Two Rivers is a 46,000 square foot public charter school for pre-Kindergarten through 3rd grade, consisting of 19 classrooms, break-out rooms, special art and music space, interior and exterior recreation areas, larger spaces for assembly, and an array of administrative and teacher-support. It fills nearly 100% of the site.
To reach program goals, this two-story industrial warehouse required a third floor. A prefabricated structure was placed on top, and a typical prefab skin was then draped down over the new and existing volumes, uniting them, but hovering to let the industrial structure do the visual heavy lifting.
The unadorned galvanized metal skin is industrial and modest, while the green-tinted glass and polychrome exposed warehouse structure, together with the school’s graphics, communicates the new identity. It is the overlay and juxtaposition of the rational system and playful elements that energizes the transformation. It is a mask, a play of layering, hiding and seeking, a new kid on the block that transforms not just itself, but the hard urban setting. The windows are set playfully; the long windows frame views of the city, embracing the action as part of the students’ world. The philosophy of the school is manifest in the array of spaces around community areas, and a non-centralized pattern for administration and support space. Visual linkages between all spaces are prominent to maintain community.
Visual connections to the city are emphasized, and the natural cycle of the day and seasons is made a primary element through abundant skylight area and glazed shafts.