For over 35 years, Gilbert Architects has been a full-service architectural firm devoted exclusively to planning and designing educational facilities for clients throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

high school exterior with large columns featured in entrance

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brick high school exterior from football stadium bleachers
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school lobby with hall of fame on walls
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school library with reading tables and book shelves
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school gymnasium with wooden bleachers
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looking out of large school windows
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high school guidance office with wooden desk and paneling on walls

City

West Chester, PA

Size

287,351 s.f. – total
63,305 s.f. – new construction
224,046 s.f. – renovations

Grades

9 – 12

Project Features

  • AS&U Educational Interiors Showcase 2008 – Media Center
  • Limited, urban site
  • Creative energy-saving techniques
  • Phased occupied construction

B. Reed Henderson High School

As one of three high school construction projects in the West Chester Area School District, B. Reed Henderson’s additions and renovations project serves the Northwestern portion of the district.

Additions to the school include a new two-story addition which consolidates the administration, guidance, and nurse’s area adjacent to a new main entrance to the school with a new science department on the second floor. The addition helped link two wings of the building and improve circulation and accessibility throughout the school. Renovations to the school include enlargement of one of two existing cafeterias to accommodate the future enrollment capacity of 1,600 students at one location. Other core spaces that were renovated include the library/media center, gymnasiums, and locker rooms. In 1998, the existing auditorium and stage, as well as the public bathrooms, were fully renovated.

Infrastructure renovations included a new air conditioning system using an ice storage facility to capitalize on off-peak energy rates to cool the building. Work also included complete window and unit ventilator replacement. The existing roof system was replaced with a new system to match the new addition.

Located on a limited site, the main campus houses a football stadium and athletic fields. Currently, three athletic fields and student parking are located adjacent to the main campus. Alternative properties are being acquired, and/or leased, to provide more flexibility to accommodate parking requirements and the athletic program.