Building Education: Potomac School Project Wins Design Award

Image courtesy of Fairfax County

Image courtesy of Fairfax County

McLean, Virginia - The Fairfax County Department of Planning and Development recently announced that The Potomac School’s Spangler Center for Community and Athletics won an Honor Award for institutional design excellence in the 2020 James M. Scott Exceptional Design Awards Program. The James M. Scott Exceptional Design Awards Program recognizes extraordinary planning and design projects among design professionals and the general public. The honor award is the highest distinction awarded by the program.

Building a Relationship

The Potomac School students thanked the CWC project team for working on their school.

The Potomac School students thanked the CWC project team for working on their school.

The Spangler Center was completed in 2019 and is the fifth project Coakley & Williams Construction (CWC) has built for The Potomac School. “We are grateful for the longstanding partnership with Coakley & Williams Construction. With a demonstrated commitment to understanding the needs of their clients and delivering a quality product, CWC has made an enduring impact at Potomac,” said Potomac School CFO/COO Dyana Conroy.

About the Project

As seen in the photograph, glue-laminated timbers and columns were implemented into the design. This unique feature sought to bring in the nature of the surrounding woods. Image courtesy of Fairfax County

As seen in the photograph, glue-laminated timbers and columns were implemented into the design. This unique feature sought to bring in the nature of the surrounding woods. Image courtesy of Fairfax County

Designed by CannonDesign, this 76,500-sf building includes a gymnasium with a competition basketball court and three practice courts, an indoor jogging track, seven squash courts; a weight room, a cardio room, a multipurpose activity room, and flexible gathering spaces. The facility supports the school’s 26-sport athletic program and provides space for school-wide gatherings.

"This was a complex job that took daily coordination between the Owner, designers, consultants, subcontractors, and ourselves. There were a lot of intricate details on the Athletic Center that needed the attention of everybody involved and the final product would not have turned out the way it did without quick answers and constant communication," said CWC Project Manager, Eddie Rupp.

Image courtesy of Fairfax County

Image courtesy of Fairfax County

Project Team

A huge congratulations to all partners involved and the CWC project team: Greg Harraka, Blake Clancy, Eddie Rupp, Bill Updike, Jeff Gray, Rudy Crespo, Jacob Zalewski, Ron Spriggs, Rian Hagerich, Glenn Foster, Ronnie Long, Corey Murphy, and Ada Contreras. Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to successfully deliver this project to The Potomac School’s community.