Ballou Senior High School

A new 356,000 sf replacement high school designed to provide a state-of-the-art learning facility with flexibility for the ever-changing demands of the education environment. Located in Southeast DC, the project includes gymnasiums and fitness center, a natatorium, a theater-style auditorium, a light-filled library/multimedia center, an automotive technology lab, a culinary arts kitchen, a two-story cafeteria, and a three-story off-hill classroom wing. The natatorium features an eight-lane collegiate-level competition swimming pool, tiered spectator seating, and support spaces. The school provides individual grade-academies with high-tech classrooms, flexible multi-use rooms, a television studio, and computer and science labs to facilitate 1,400 students.

The components are tied together with a “Main Street” concept and wrapped to form an interior courtyard with community gardens and improved green spaces creating a collegial atmosphere.  The project was developed under the DC DGS modified design-build program on a fast-track schedule and achieved LEED Gold Certification.