Consulting Engineering
Located in Washington DC’s Cleveland Park Historic District, John Eaton Elementary serves a vibrant and diverse student population within the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) system. The campus, composed of three historic buildings united by a connecting structure, was severely undersized for the community’s growing population and failed to meet DCPS’s current education specifications and programmatic needs. To address these challenges, DCPS aimed to modernize the facility while preserving its historic integrity. CMTA provided full MEP design services for the modernization effort, ensuring the campus was not only right-sized for the elementary school program but also enhanced in terms of ADA accessibility, sustainability, and the preservation of green space for both students and the community.
Eaton Elementary was built in 1910, with subsequent building additions constructed in 1921, 1930, and 1980. As part of the project, the 1980s connector building was demolished to make way for a modern addition that expanded academic programming space while maintaining available outdoor areas. Both the renovation and new construction were designed to exceed LEED Gold sustainability guidelines, as well as lower operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
Updating the facility’s aging HVAC system was a top priority, as difficulty adjusting temperature throughout the building significantly affected occupant comfort. To address these challenges, CMTA designed an air-cooled VRF system for efficient simultaneous heating and cooling throughout the school. To enhance individual climate control, wall-mounted thermostats were installed in each classroom, allowing precise regulation of air temperature and fan speed throughout the campus. A central controller was also installed to enable remote management of outdoor and indoor units, improving the system’s trending and scheduling capabilities.
Additionally, all plumbing and electrical systems were replaced, and an updated fire protection system was installed, making Eaton Elementary an NFPA 13-compliant facility. The school now features modern, energy-efficient LED light fixtures designed to adapt to occupancy, time of day, daylight availability, and space functionality, significantly enhancing its energy efficiency.
