The university has moved closer to breaking ground on the future home of GW’s School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS).
The university has filed a second-stage planned unit development application with the D.C. Zoning Commission to initiate the regulatory approvals process for Square 39, a new building for SPHHS. Located on Washington Circle at K Street, 24th Street and New Hampshire Avenue, the building will feature more than 115,000-square feet of gross floor area for state-of-the-art classroom facilities, research labs, departmental and office space and conference rooms at a projected cost of $75 million. It will be the first GW building visible to people who approach campus from Washington Circle and Pennsylvania Avenue.
At the conclusion of its May 2010 meeting, the GW Board of Trustees unanimously endorsed construction of the new building, expected to begin in spring 2012, pending zoning approval. The building will serve as a consolidated home for most of the school’s faculty, students and staff for the first time in the 13-year history of SPHHS. The building will also meet the needs of the 1,500 students in the school, which is currently spread out across eight locations, only one of which is on campus.
Other building features will include an auditorium, student lounge, study areas and exercise rooms and specialty spaces specific to the teaching and research activities of GW’s Department of Exercise Science. The facility will serve as a central location for research in public health and collaboration between SPHHS and government and non-governmental organizations.
Current plans call for the building to be constructed with a range of green and sustainable materials and the project will target a minimum of Silver certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. Two new GW buildings— West Hall, at 2100 Foxhall Road, and South Hall, at 2135 F St., NW— have received LEED Gold certification.
Lynn Goldman, dean of SPHHS, says the first-ever home for the seven departments, students, faculty and staff will be a vital part of the school’s future.
“This new building will enable GW’s School of Public Health and Health Services to move to the next level of excellence in our education and research programs,” says Dr. Goldman. “It’s hard to think of anything more important to the school’s long-term future and its ability to grow and attract the best faculty and students in public health.”
SPHHS offers a variety of undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs in various fields of study, including exercise science and health services administration.