ENR MidAtlantic's 2015 Owner of the Year: DC Public Schools

With work delivered through the DC Dept. of General Services, DC Public Schools is in the midst of a multibillion-dollar capital program that is not only addressing long-overdue needs, it is also delivering world-class K-12 public schools. The DCPS modernization and stabilization program, expected to cost in excess of $3.5 billion, will result in more than 12 million sq ft of newly constructed or renovated space. Seven years on, the program's focus has evolved from an early blitz of repair and stabilization efforts to a series of extensive modernization projects that far exceed requirements. In March, Dunbar High School earned LEED Platinum certification. By achieving 91 points out of a possible 100 base points for LEED, Dunbar became the highest-scoring school in the world certified under the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED for Schools-New Construction system.

In light of its recent achievements, ENR MidAtlantic named DC Public Schools its 2015 Owner of the Year.

Bridget Stesney, deputy chief of facilities and IT initiatives with DCPS Office of the Deputy Chancellor for Operations, says the department's goal is clear: "We need to show parents that we are serious about providing quality schools where kids want to come and learn."

From a facilities standpoint, meeting that mission is not so straightforward. In modernizing its inventory of schools, DCPS aims to meet or exceed student, parent and community expectations, all the while conforming to District of Columbia regulations regarding sustainability standards and work-force requirements.

Jonathan Kayne, interim director of the DC Dept. of General Services, says working with DCPS to find that balance is the program's central challenge. DCPS's educational specifications provide a framework that DGS helps translate into viable facilities planning. "It's a collaboration," he says. "DGS brings expertise to the table with respect to construction and helping to develop state-of-the-art facilities. But we also make sure what we're programming and what we're building ultimately create the best environments for the kids."

The road map toward developing a portfolio of modernized facilities has required officials to tread new paths over the years. After Adrian Fenty was sworn in as mayor in 2007, he brought in Allen Lew to direct school modernization efforts. An architect by training, Lew had recently made his mark managing construction of the Washington Convention Center and the Nationals baseball stadium. Although Lew is no longer in that role, some of his legacy remains. Efforts started with a summer repair program that stabilized dozens of schools. Meanwhile, officials reworked how best to deliver long-term solutions to DCPS's ailing facilities. In addition to its stabilization efforts, the master facilities plan would ultimately include a series of large-scale modernizations.

A major component of that plan was a phased modernization program initiated in 2009. Under that plan, work would be completed in a series of phases during summers while students were on vacation. Typically, Phase 1 addresses academic spaces, Phase 2 addresses support spaces and Phase 3 provides system upgrades.

To help streamline design and construction, Lew instituted the use of a modified design-build delivery method based on similar ones used on the convention center and stadium projects. Under this method, DGS hires the architect, then brings on a design-builder at around the design development (DD) phase for early engagement on design and cost estimating.

Concurrent with establishing a guaranteed maximum price at the DD phase, DGS transfers its agreement with the architect to the design-builder. This places the builder in control of completing the design process as well as meeting cost, schedule and quality requirements.

Another part of the plan was hiring a joint venture of McKissack & McKissack and Brailsford & Dunlavey—dubbed DC PEP—as program managers. Willard Mangrum, director of operations with DC PEP, says that while some were initially hesitant about the delivery method, "a good cadre of architects and contractors have gotten on board." The method is now being used on the majority of its projects.

"The benefit is that we control the design and can see what we're getting before signing a GMP," he says. "We then transfer the risk onto the builder after the GMP is executed."

Sean O'Donnell, principal and practice area leader for the K-12 group at Perkins Eastman-owned firm EE&K, says there were a lot of unknowns with the modified design-build process at first, but in working with experienced contractors, the method has proven its value. The firm partnered with Whiting-Turner Contracting on a $32-million addition to Stoddert Elementary School, which opened 19 months after design began. The LEED Gold-certified school was the first in the District of Columbia to feature geothermal wells. EE&K also designed Dunbar High School in collaboration with a joint venture of contractors Gilbane Building and Smoot Construction. Key features of the 280,000-sq-ft, LEED Platinum facility include geothermal systems, rainwater harvesting and a 482-kW photovoltaic array provided through D.C.'s first power purchase agreement.

"DGS has created an environment that has challenged us to design some of the best schools that are in our portfolio," he says. "We couldn't have achieved our goals on these projects without collaborating with high-quality builders."

The sustainability standards achieved on Stoddert and Dunbar are emblematic of DCPS's push for green building across its entire portfolio. At the outset of the program, all new schools were required to achieve at least LEED Silver certification and today LEED Gold is the minimum goal. Still, projects like Dunbar show a willingness to aim higher.

The $124-million Ballou High School, which opened in January, is designed to earn LEED Platinum certification. In fact, Mangrum says the team—which included a design joint venture of Bowie Gridley Architects and Perkins+Will and a JV of contractors Chiaramonte Construction and HESS Construction—considered aiming for net-zero energy consumption, but found it cost prohibitive.

"Our client is at the forefront of sustainability—not just looking to get a plaque from USGBC, but doing responsible things that have a long-term positive impact," Mangrum says.

Mangrum also credits the use of design competitions for some of its recent success. Woodrow Wilson High School, which was extensively renovated in 2010 and 2011, was the first public school project in D.C. to use a design competition. The LEED Gold-certified school, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, received multiple awards for both green building and historic preservation. Contracts for Dunbar and Ballou were also awarded through design competitions. Mangrum notes that in some cases, architects have been provided a stipend as an incentive to push for excellence in design.

"We've been able to attract renowned architects and get them to propose innovative ideas," he says. "That helped lead to monumental projects that are not only world-class today but also will stand the test of time for the next 50 years."

The school construction program also aims to surpass work-force requirements. In addition to its commitment to hiring small, minority-owned, women-owned and/or disadvantaged businesses on its projects, DGS also pushes its contractors to hire D.C. residents. Under its Workforce Incentive Program, contractors can receive financial incentives if more than 35% of total hours worked are performed by District of Columbia residents. In the first year of that program, hours worked on school construction projects by D.C. residents was above 50%.

"When we opened Ballou, it was very touching because you saw that people in the community built the school," Stesney says. "Generations of community members are connected to that school."

To date, 80 schools have received either full modernization or Phase 1 improvements. Twenty-one are in progress, with another 28 slated for future work. Major construction projects that broke ground last year include the $139.2-million Duke Ellington School of the Arts modernization, the $131.6-million Roosevelt High School modernization, the $37-million Horace Mann Elementary School modernization and the $28-million Kramer Middle School renovation.

With much of the program executed during the economic downturn, Mangrum admits that the program could be challenged by price escalations now that the economy has improved. Still, he says the program will hold to its mission.

"The agency still wants to push the envelope," he says. "We can always improve and build even better schools."