Students from the
Academy of Construction and Design at
Cardozo Senior High School are set to break ground on a single family home next Tuesday. Nearly 300 students will gain valuable pre-apprenticeship experience in carpentry, electrical, HVAC and other technical specialties while building the 2,000 s.f. house. Sustainability is a key focus, as the District's first student-built house is set to employ energy efficient design, materials and construction. The vacant lot, donated by the
District Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), will be reborn thanks to the program being dubbed "
Build a House - Build a Future." The entire operation is sponsored by the nonprofit
D.C. Students Construction Trades Foundation in partnership with
District of Columbia Public Schools Career and Technical Education.
Architectural designs and site plans for the two-story home are courtesy of nearby
Inscape Studio. And while teens normally can't even clean their rooms, students were even somewhat involved in the preliminary design process, says the Academy's head
Shelly Karriem. "Students weren't included in the drawing process, but the design elements that they thought were important were relayed to the architects."
Miller & Long will serve as general contractors and assist Academy instructors in overseeing the construction process. Although not physically involved, corporate sponsors like
Clark Construction and
Balfour Beatty have helped to make the program possible. Bridging the connection between a quality education today and an healthy, employed future, the Academy has been helping students recognize their potential, focus on their studies, and begin to plot their future careers. Since its inception in 2005, the Academy has seen a 90% graduation rate from its enrolled student body.
Washington D.C. Real Estate Development News
