A move of the School for Continuing Studies away from the Hilltop will add to the presence of the Law Center in downtown Washington, to create another Georgetown footprint in the city. I was able to take a tour of the hectic construction site last week, and things are coming along swimmingly — on schedule, below budget.
I had only seen the early architectural renderings, which were dazzling in suggesting a space totally designed to support the students and faculty who would occupy the building.
As you can see by the pictures below, we are beginning to see the architects’ dreams come alive. The first pair of photos shows the façade, on Massachusetts Avenue. The first is what it looks like as of last week; the second the architects’ sketch.
The next pair of photos captures the interior scene at the lowest level, a meeting area for students and access to several hi-tech classrooms. You see the current status, with the terrazzo steps still to be added to the steel, and you can start to imagine how it is being transformed into the planned space.
The final pair of photos shows a “chance-meeting” seating area for students, for discussions about class, for working on a laptop, or just decompressing. The substructure of wood and the missing glass wall forces a little more imagination, but it’s coming together fast.
We’re getting closer, and the wonderful staff at SCS is working hand in hand with the construction management to make sure the end game of the construction goes well. We’re planning on occupancy next month, with the start of classes soon thereafter.
When you visit, you’ll see over 91,000 square feet of classroom, office, and meeting space featuring the latest integrated technology. There are 30 classrooms, 14 group study rooms, a 130-person auditorium, digital media lab, broadcast studio, contemplative space, library resource center, student services center, bookstore, café, and multiple lounge and meeting spaces.
The sizing of the facility was based on projected educational needs, and it looks like we’ll need most all of it. The School offers graduate degrees in Emergency & Disaster Management, Human Resources Management, Journalism, Liberal Studies, Public Relations & Corporate Communications, Real Estate, Sports Industry Management, Technology Management and Urban & Regional Planning, as well as over 25 professional certificates, summer school and special programs, and the University’s only part-time bachelor’s program.
The interior space required a reconstruction of the support structures for the building, in order to build the dramatic multistory atrium. The construction manager was filled with pride at how well things have come together.
The neighborhood is one of the most popular in DC, with scores of restaurants and entertainment venues (e.g., Verizon Center, Museum of American Art). It should be ideal for those students working downtown during the day and taking courses after the workday is over.
Since the School will most heavily use the space during the evenings and weekends, there may be the possibility of other uses of the space at other times. We’ve heard that several other schools at the University may be interested.
Georgetown is limited in its growth on the 100 acres of the Hilltop; the move of the School for Continuing Studies to this great venue is just one step in serving students who want to enter Georgetown academic programs and the city of Washington.
Thanks a lot for this great post. Georgetown is actually inside my heart. It doesn’t matter how bad it might be at occasions. I moved in the past, but it will always be my home.