2025 AIA/CES Conference Session Participation Form »
Monday, April 7, 2025
No self-driving allowed. You must be registered for the conference to register for a tour.
Tours depart from hotel. Tour return is an estimate only.
Tour 1
12:15 – 5:00 PM
Meridian High School
Fleet Elementary School
115 S Old Glebe Rd, Arlington, VA 22204
View tour guide tri-fold »
Alice West Fleet Elementary School exemplifies how innovative design can create sustainable, engaging,
and adaptable learning environments that empower students and educators. Designed for Arlington
County Public Schools, this 109,988 SF LEED v4 Gold-certified school serves approximately 750 students
and 120 full-time staff, providing dynamic spaces that support collaboration, wellness, and
environmental literacy.
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Fleet Elementary reimagines traditional learning spaces through flexible classrooms, an open and lightfilled
library, and shared common areas that encourage interdisciplinary learning. The design maximizes
natural daylight, incorporates biophilic elements, and utilizes interactive technology—such as LED
indicators that display real-time energy use—to reinforce sustainability as an integral part of the
curriculum. The school’s compact footprint enhances efficiency while maintaining a rich variety of
educational environments, including a gymnasium, stage, cafeteria, and outdoor learning areas.
Sustainability and student well-being are at the heart of Fleet’s design. A high-performance building
envelope, geothermal heat pump system, and rooftop photovoltaic array contribute to the school’s netzero
energy-ready performance. Meanwhile, an advanced ventilation system ensures exceptional indoor
air quality, supporting student health and cognitive performance.
Learning Objectives:
- Designing for Flexible Learning: Explore how Fleet Elementary integrates adaptable classroom
spaces, collaborative learning zones, and shared common areas to support diverse teaching and
learning styles.
- Zero Energy Design in Practice: Understand the key strategies and technologies that enable Fleet
Elementary to achieve net-zero energy-ready performance, including its rooftop PV array, geothermal
heat pumps, and high-performance building envelope.
- Enhancing Student Engagement Through Environmental Literacy: Examine how sustainability is
embedded in the learning experience through daylighting, biophilic design, and interactive technology
that educates students about energy use and conservation.
- Community-Centered Design: Learn how Fleet Elementary integrates shared public spaces, including
a neighborhood park, to serve both students and the broader Arlington community, creating a replicable
model of civic and educational engagement.
Project Team:
Architect of Record: VMDO Architects
Presenter:
Tyler Jenkins, VMDO
ACHS at Minnie Howard Center
Tour 2
1:30 – 5:30 PM
Douglas MacArthur Elementary School
The Heights Building / EK Shriver Program
1601 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22209
The Heights Building is a secondary school building in Arlington, VA. The architecturally stunning new
facility co-locates two APS programs that are among the most progressive in the United States: a
democratic alternative magnet program, and a program for students with severe intellectual disabilities.
The Heights employs a unique architectural form to maximize density and open space on a tightly
constrained site in Rosslyn, Virginia. Five levels of classrooms are rotated around a central pivot point,
creating rooftop terraces on each level that serve as outdoor educational environments. A cascading
central stair stitches the five levels together, creating a sense of connectivity and community that is rare
in midrise school buildings.
Learning Objectives:
- Discuss the process of collocating two public schools with unique populations.
- Evaluate site design strategies to maximize open green space.
- Discuss strategies for adapting a suburban school building typology to a compact urban site.
- Discuss the architectural and structural integration required to achieve a complex massing.
Project Team:
Architect of Record: Leo A Daly / Bjarke Ingles Group
Presenters:
Anya Grant & Andrew Graham, Leo A Daly
Casey Robinson, Principal, The Heights Building