Living Classrooms is planning a three-story, wood-and-glass pavillion that will allow them to expand their programming right on the shores of the Anacostia River in Navy Yard.
For 25 years, Living Classrooms has focused on environmental education, workforce development and health and wellness in the District. The manage Kingman Island and serve over 2,000 DC students through environmental education, maritime music and paddling programs with a focus on students in Title 1 schools. The building would allow them to expand offerings.
The prosed design is a pavilion structure, in appearance and scale similar to the lumber shed and the District Winery building with wood, glass and dark metal elements.
The three-story 17,000 square foot building place right on the boardwalk at Fifth Street SE, south of the Navy Yard power plant. Each story is set on an angle to the one below, creating outdoor spaces on each floor as well as varied views from windows on all sides except those facing north, for reasons of Navy Yard security.
A first floor would include the lobby, locker rooms for the Marina and a kitchen and dining room for culinary training in the adult Workforce Development Program. The second floor would include offices, music and technology spaces and classrooms for younger students. Above, the third floor would have flexible classroom and workforce development space that could be separated into three for educational purposes or opened into one, larger space for events or fundraisers. There is a green roof on top and a mechanical penthouse.
The project was presented to Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6/8F. The ANC voted to and application for a text amendment to the zoning in the SEFC-4 Zone to include educational, cultural and institutional uses. The changes would allow Living Classrooms to build a new facility along the Navy Yard boardwalk.
The area slated for the building is zoned for park use, while the area just to the west is permitted for development; the applicant asks the zoning commission to extent commercial uses to the intended site as outlined in the master plan for the area.
The team said they will discuss the design in greater detail at a future meeting of ANC 8F.
