Accelerating the delivery of US public school facilities with an innovative, first-of-its-kind approach
Prince George's County Public School System, one of the nation's largest school districts, was faced with aging facilities and overcrowding from a growing student population. In response, the county entered into a public-private partnership (P3) with Prince George’s County Education and Community Partners. The consortium—comprised of Fengate Asset Management, Gilbane Development Company, Gilbane Building Company, Stantec, and Honeywell Building Technologies—were responsible for designing, building financing, operating, and maintaining six new schools under a 30-year contract.
This pioneering delivery approach is the first of its kind for a US public school system and provided five new middle schools and one K-8 school while cutting delivery time in half, reducing construction costs, and reducing preventative maintenance over the life of the schools. Compared to a traditional construction procurement model, this approach will save approximately $174 million in deferred maintenance and construction costs.
As the partnership's architect, we designed a flexible prototype that was adapted for various learning environments in each of the schools. The facilities transform the educational experience for the district’s diverse student population in the Washington, DC suburbs by helping students discover their skills and interests. With flexible spaces more adaptable to modern pedagogy, the design offers innovative learning environments through small and large group instruction and peer-to-peer engagement.
The story isn’t just about the savings and innovative designs—it’s about delivering engaging educational spaces for the future leaders of their community.
At a Glance
- Offices
- Partners
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- Fengate Asset Management
- Gilbane Development Company
- Gilbane Building Company
- Honeywell Building Technologies
- Awards
- Social Infrastructure (Education) Deal of the Year, by IJGlobal Awards 2020
- Editor’s Choice as the Best Deal in North America, by IJGlobal Awards 2020
- Article
- Delivering equity through P3 school design
Meet Our Team
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Gwen Morgan
Senior Principal, Discipline Leader, Interior Design
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Tracy Eich
Senior Principal, Texas Design Leader
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Michael Scarani
Senior Associate
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Dan Fletcher
Principal
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David Milligan
Senior Associate, Senior Project Architect
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Elizabeth Beck
Associate, Project Architect
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Al Hernandez
Principal
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Katharine Land
Senior Interior Designer
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Vicki Brown
Senior Associate, Senior Project Architect
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