Berkshire Elementary SchoolBaltimore County Public Schools

The site design for this prototype school incorporated challenging typography, innovative stormwater management, upgraded utilities, safe access, and phasing to create a beautiful new school for the community.

Statistics

Construction Cost
$40.5 million
Year Completed
2020
Square Feet
97,000
Acres
14

Team Members Involved

member involved img
Nick Wilson, LEED AP
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Craig Blymiller
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Brian LaFon

Partners

Architect | GWWO

800 Wyman Park Dr # 300
Baltimore, MD 21211

Project Overview

MK provided site/civil engineering services for a new 97,000 SF prototype replacement school on a 14-acre terraced site. Phased construction allowed the existing school to remain operational while the new school was built on the existing fields.

Berkshire Elementary image

Our Approach

As this school is located within a densely populated residential neighborhood, extensive vehicular and pedestrian circulation was reworked for safe and efficient access. New commercial entrances from Poplar Avenue were engineered, associated with the roadway reconstruction required.

Due to insufficient water pressure, a new water main was designed for the replacement school. Service to the existing school will be maintained while the new water main is constructed. This new public water main and a new storm drain will both be built in Poplar Avenue.

Results

To manage stormwater, MK designed a submerged gravel wetland and six microbioretention facilities. These utilize the latest environmental site design/best management practices and contribute to the LEED rating of this project.

Baltimore County DEPS asked that we research ways to improve the submerged gravel wetland, as they had been underwhelmed by the facility’s performance on past projects. Through collaboration and research, we improved the standard design and implemented additional strategies for quality management. The submerged gravel wetland designed for this site is now the prototype submerged gravel wetland used on all Baltimore County projects.

Berkshire Elementary image

Baltimore County Public Schools Northeast Elementary School No. 2

This new school created an environment which mirrored its original greenfields site. Using submerged gravel wetlands, colorful landscaping, and a bridged swale, MK’s site design integrated existing natural features.

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Image Credit: GWWO

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Image Credit: Murphy & Dittenhafer

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