Washington International School – Tregaron Campus

The Washington International School Tregaron Science building is a brand new, state-of-the-art, 57,000 SF, four-story educational facility located on the school’s six-acre campus within the Tregaron Conservancy in Washington, DC. The campus serves middle and high school students across multiple buildings and is anchored by a historic 1912 Georgian Revival mansion at the top of the site.

The project includes a new science-focused building with classrooms, advanced labs, multipurpose gathering spaces, conference areas, and a central cafeteria that supports the broader campus. While it significantly expands the school’s academic program, the building had to be carefully designed to fit within a tight, historically sensitive site without disrupting the overall character of the campus. To achieve this, a large portion of the structure is built into the hillside. Two levels extend below grade beneath the existing soccer field, using light wells, landscaped areaways, and strategically placed windows to bring in natural light. This approach helped reduce the visual presence of the building while still creating bright, usable interior spaces that feel connected to the outdoors.

The new Tregaron Science building ultimately delivers a modern learning environment that supports science education while respecting the existing campus. It’s a project that required careful planning, coordination, and execution to successfully introduce new construction into a highly constrained and occupied site.