The rebuild of Venice High School was completed on an occupied, active campus during a three-phase process. The new buildings were organized around the existing buildings to create a 21st century campus that was safe, community based and minimized disruption to the daily activities of the school.

Construction included repurposing existing structures and creating new structures including: multi-story academic buildings, an administration building, a media center, gymnasium and a performing arts center capable of seating 1,100 patrons. Creating a prominent, civic presence in the community was the defining aesthetic goal for the new Venice High School.

During the initial design development, it was made clear that site constraints demanded this four building project be a hybrid, with the gymnasium and the Venice Performing Arts Center buildings constructed with thin brick imbedded tilt-wall concrete panels. The classrooms and administration building (which included a curved elevation) are conventional brick veneer to match over CMU cavity-wall, providing brick facing as the consistent, seamless cladding for all four buildings.

“Glen-Gery’s long-standing reputation for quality products and the ability to manufacturer both thin and full size brick units that met the design criteria for this project solidified our selection.” - SchenkelShultz Architecture

An increasing number of design professionals embrace thin brick as a solution to a growing set of challenges presented in today’s construction climate.

Rough texture utility size brick: Sand (R33) and Boulder Grey (R83) were selected, which offered both ASTM C-216 Type FBX facebrick and paraffin wax-coated thin brick that match in color, texture and size and also met the requirements of PCI for tilt-wall.

This approach resulted in the most cost effective and seamless construction for each building that addressed the constraints head on and with great success. The results will speak for themselves for decades to come.

The 13-story 600,000 square-foot high-rise residential development, known as Park Chelsea, is located in DC’s Capitol Riverfront neighborhood. The building brings 429 new residences to New Jersey Avenue, a major corridor that extends from the Capitol Building to the Anacostia River. Its architectural character incorporates the memory of the original industrial neighborhood in which it lives.

Building upon Washington DC’s rich masonry tradition, Park Chelsea’s imaginative use of brick integrates contemporary details into an imposing, muscular facade. The layering of curved and straight walls adds intrigue, while the building’s rich color adds dimension and character, changing according to the sunlight throughout day.

“The brick we chose has a fine mix of color specks – like the pointillist paintings of George Seurat. This results in the brick varying in color depending on the time of day and by season. That’s because the mix of wavelengths in sunlight is variable as the name – Golden Dawn so accurately implies. Visiting the Hanley Plant for this project - as we have in the past – reminded us yet again of the high level of artistry the brick industry’s ceramists possess...as always, our expectations have been both high and - successfully met.” – Philip A. Esocoff, FAIA (now Residential Practice Area Leader at Gensler).

The diversified product line from Glen-Gery enabled the architects to select masonry in three colors, three sizes and nearly four dozen shapes. Through the use of a bonding pattern with alternating courses of 4x16’s (Saxon and Titan) and 4x8’s (Econo), the brickwork is similar to traditional brickwork bonding patterns. The use of larger bricks, matching mortar, and V struck joints, create a higher proportion of brick to mortar than typical of most modern masonry facades. The tight V joint also creates a fine shadow line, allowing each brick to be seen, yet does not distract from the continuity of the buildings curved surfaces.

The curves of the building are achieved through the use of a few special shapes and the careful layout of the 4x8’s and 4x16’s on a radius that allows the use of a standard brick to achieve the desired result. Wrapping the brick veneer around the free ends of the balconies implies this cavity wall system is the thickness of a multi-width masonry facade. Park Chelsea’s overall impression is made substantial by this tailoring of the wall terminations, like lapels on a suit coat.

Park Chelsea’s towers feature a rooftop pool and lounge/grilling area, dog exercise area and community gardens surrounded by three types of brick: Bermuda Blue (G391) glazed brick, Toledo Grey (S75) and Golden Dawn (S27-28).