Education

BSD is committed to the creation of inspiring learning spaces for all ages, from pre-K through higher education. With curriculum integration and campus identity in mind, we love working with students to provide the resources they need to thrive at each level.

Centennial Village at CUA

Client

The Catholic University of America

Size

3.6-acre site

Budget

$1M

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Located in the Brookland neighborhood of Washington D.C., the historic Catholic University of America is home to Centennial Village, a cherished community of student residences with a highly utilized communal outdoor space. Design objectives included the creation of active recreation facilities, gathering areas, contemplative spaces, and pedestrian and vehicular circulation systems. Careful manipulation of the existing topography allowed for diverse programming requirements to coexist in close proximity. Stormwater management is integrated seamlessly in the parklike setting: bioretention areas heavily planted with native materials and pervious pavement systems are simply part of the landscape vocabulary.

AWARDS: LCA Distinction Award

Benjamin Banneker High School

Client

District of Columbia Public Schools and Department of Parks and Recreation

Size

6.5-acre Site and 250,000 SF facility

Budget

$142M

WASHINGTON, D.C. — To create a world class campus and civic space, BSD arranged a complex program in a densely urban setting. The campus, designed to reflect the Banneker legacy and to serve the unique needs of a diverse and high-achieving student population, creates a collegiate atmosphere with tree-lined quads, student gathering areas, and plazas featuring public art. Quiet oasis spaces offer a retreat to students, incorporating masses of native plants to create privacy and articulate outdoor rooms. Lushly planted bioretention areas meet stormwater requirements and provide teaching tools while beautifying the campus. The project is LEED Platinum and Net Zero Ready.

AWARDS: AIA Grand Design Award & Excellence in Design
AIA COTE Top Ten Award
LEED Platinum & Net Zero Ready

Crofton High School

Client

Anne Arundel County Public Schools

Size

123-acre site and 275,768 SF facility

Budget

$124.5M

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Designed as a model for sustainable and innovative school campuses, this high school facility was carefully integrated into the natural setting. BSD preserved existing forests and wetlands, incorporating outdoor assembly spaces, gardens, a sports stadium, athletic facilities, and a diverse array of creative, nature-based learning areas that make use of the natural topography. Working closely with the architects, BSD created strong indoor-outdoor relationships and a site that reflects themes and materials from the school’s interior.

AWARDS: AIA Chesapeake Bay Honor Award and Sustainability Award

Ducketts Lane Elementary School

Client

Anne Arundel County Public Schools

Size

123-acre site and 275,768 SF facility

Budget

$124.5M

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — This entire campus serves as a teaching tool: all site features are designed to stimulate, inform, and inspire, all while creating a beautiful setting that nurtures people and wildlife. A stormwater treatment train describes The Journey of a Raindrop: it follows the path of rainwater as it falls on a vegetated roof and trickles down a curtain of rain chains into a raised trough. The trough can be used for aquatic wildlife studies, a “touching pool” where students can handle species indigenous to the local watershed. An overflow lip allows the water to spill into a runnel, audible as it makes its way to the bioretention area beyond.

AWARDS: USGBC Wintergreen Award

Marie Reed Learning Center

Client

District of Columbia Public Schools

Size

5.5-acre site

Budget

$61.5M

WASHINGTON, D.C. — This unusual campus serves as the community’s Town Center, encompassing the school itself as well as a recreation center, clinic, and civic gathering area that is used heavily by the surrounding community. BSD collaborated with numerous stakeholder groups to organize the complex program on the sloping site, providing gracious transitions and giving thoughtful attention to adjacencies, security and circulation. The grade changes were activated as storm water management facilities, lushly planted with native materials, and serving as fully accessible educational features. Specific areas were designated as securable school zones, while others became prominent and active public spaces. The project features creative designs that allow the entire campus to be activated for long-standing traditions like Adams Morgan Day and various festivals. BSD provided planning, programming and landscape architectural services, coordinated with DCPS, DPR, DOEE, DDOT, successfully presented before the Commission of Fine Arts.

AWARDS: AIA Potomac Valley Citation Award

Ellen Ochoa Middle School

Client

Prince George County Public Schools

Size

10.75-acre site

Budget

$80M

LANDOVER HILLS, M.D. — Bradley Site Design collaborated with the design team for the new Ellen Ochoa Middle School, maximizing the forested, natural setting and steep slope of the site to create an educational campus prime for environmental and immersive learning opportunities. The state of the art building is nestled into the steep hillside, preserving existing wooded areas and integrating natural habitats meant to attract indigenous wildlife species. Extensive bioretention facilities filled with native plantings meet permitting guidelines and achieve stormwater retention credits. The school area is secured but visually and physically connected to the adjacent Glendridge Community park, allowing the County and MNCPPC staff to co-develop programming that combines both educational and community functions.

AWARDS: Learning by Design 2026 Grand Prize - New Construction - Middle School / Intermediate School
AIA Maryland Citation Award for Excellence in Design, 2025
AIA Maryland Public Building of the Year, 2025
LEED Gold

Dorothy Height Elementary

Client

District of Columbia Public Schools

Size

1.6-acre site

Budget

$64M

WASHINGTON, D.C. — At Dorothy Height Elementary School, Bradley Site Design created a site program which turned topographic challenges into opportunities. Tiered learning areas and play spaces were designed into the slope of the site with features including sculptural play equipment, colorful surfaces, and protected outdoor classrooms of varying sizes. Key historic elements of the building were preserved in the development of the site, including the main entry sequence and front slopes which feature appropriately scaled native plant palettes that provide seasonal interest and environmental education opportunities to students. A fully accessible pedestrian circulation links all the elements and is safely separated from vehicular movement. Bradley Site Design led the site design and documentation process from design development through permitting and construction administration to ensure the designs were implemented to the exact client specifications.

AWARDS: LEED Platinum

The Langley School

Size

2-acre site

Client

The Langley School

MCLEAN, V.A. — The Langley School is a premier educational campus that integrates modern facilities into a naturalistic landscape. Bradley Site Design provided landscape architectural services for a campus addition, connecting the new 33,750 SF Crossroads Building to the Lower School and the Sherman Arts Center. The site design for the new quad reflects the school’s commitment to environmental stewardship and inspired learning, and features a diverse botanical collection of both native and ornamental species which provide seasonal interest and ecological value to the site. The campus is defined by a sophisticated system of site circulation and outdoor “rooms” that foster both social cohesion and academic engagement. Central to this framework is a prominent circular stone plaza and tiered amphitheater that serves as a civic heart for the school community. By utilizing a material palette of Tennessee flagstone, fieldstone boulders, and unit pavers, the design creates a seamless transition between the built environment and the existing topography. These site elements, complemented by stone veneer seat walls and integrated lighting, provide a series of flexible outdoor education areas and gathering spaces that accommodate all aspects of a 21st-century curriculum in a peaceful and healthy school environment.

Milton Gottesman Jewish Primary Day School

Client

Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School of the Nation’s Capital

Size

22,778 SF site

Budget

$22M

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The BSD team provided an ambitious program on a challenging site in NW Washington, D.C. while collaborating with the design team and school staff to integrate specific priorities and address concerns. The team developed a sensitive site program centered on the culture, religion, and history of the school while promoting safety and security of the campus, which sits along the busy 16th St. Corridor. Significant features and materials incorporated into the design include the use of Jerusalem stone, the integration of an amphitheater and school garden, and a two-level playground and traditional gaga pit. The topographic challenges of a steeply sloped site were resolved with graceful, terraced hillsides and bioretention facilities with native plantings that capture the natural beauty of adjacent Rock Creek Park while also meeting stringent regulatory requirements regarding stormwater management and grading.

Moncure Elementary School

Size

23.3-acre site

Client

Stafford County

Budget

$27M

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Stafford County, VA - Working in close collaboration with the design team, Bradley Site Design utilized the existing school curriculum and learning units to create a model sustainable school in Stafford County. Design decisions for the site were influenced by educational opportunities, leading to spaces and site elements throughout the campus that support specific curriculum goals and provide valuable teaching tools for the staff. The team seamlessly integrated all site features into the natural environment, using the rolling topography of the site to host bioretention areas. The design process included extensive stakeholder involvement through all phases, ensuring the final solution was collaborative and community driven.

Awards: Learning by Design Grand Prize Award
Virginia School Board Association Honorable Mention
A4LE Virginia Gold Design Award
AIA Maryland Citation Design Award
LEED Silver

Garfield Elementary School

Client

Department of General Services

Size

76,000 SF site

Budget

$48M

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The design at Garfield makes the site a critical component of the learning environment. The site will be accessible to all, and outdoor spaces are designed specifically for curriculum integration with opportunities from immersive, experiential lessons to an urban agriculture experience. Courtyard spaces look to bring in natural elements while providing a classroom and play space for students. Large, structured play and flexible lawn spaces are drawn out of this space with arc and circle forms to accommodate varied group sizes and types of activities, so multiple classes can use the outdoor spaces simultaneously.

AWARDS: LEED Gold & NetZero Ready

Raymond Elementary School

Client

District of Columbia Public Schools

Size

85,000 SF site

Budget

$62M

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Working to preserve the historic Raymond Elementary School, the BSD design team collaborated with the architects and community stakeholders to develop a new wing and exterior gathering space that is seamlessly integrated into the existing architecture. The site design engages the campus as a critical component of the learning environment, while also providing a neighborhood amenity with clearly defined spaces. The team created a welcoming environment that is accessible to all, with a pedestrian-focused circulation system, creative programming for education and recreation, and safe circulation management. The site is designed for year-round visual appeal, with minimal maintenance requirements.

AWARDS: Engineering News Record (ENR) Best Project & 2024 Project of the Year finalist
ULI Americas Awards for Excellence Finalist, 2024
LEED Gold, Net Zero Ready, WELL Standards

WASHINGTON, D.C. — BSD coordinated with school and community groups transform the compact site from a paved yard to a series of planted learning areas and green recreation spaces. The new site design is visually integrated into the historic character of Georgetown. BSD provided planning, programming and landscape architectural services, coordinated with DCPS, DPR, DOEE, DDOT, and successfully presented before the Historic Preservation and Old Georgetown Review Boards and the Commission of Fine Arts.
AWARDS: Historic Preservation Award

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In response to the school’s location in the heart of an emerging urban neighborhood, BSD developed a stimulating site design with a basis in experiential, nature-based learning for students in Pre-K through fifth grade. The management of stormwater has been handled in a visible and interactive manner throughout the campus. BSD created similar innovative designs for play areas, outdoor classrooms, pedestrian circulation, entry plazas and approaches, parking, and gardens for science studies and edible plants.