Fanning Howey, a MASA Silver sponsor, has earned two of the highest honors in the American School & University 2009 Educational Interiors Showcase. The firm was awarded the coveted Crow Island School Citation, the program’s top honor, for its modernization of Phelps High School in Washington, D.C. Fanning Howey’s design of the new Warren G. Harding Elementary School in Hammond, IN, earned a Gold Citation in the Libraries/Media Centers category.

The citation is the fourth major design award for Phelps High School this year. The school, which reopened in the fall of 2008 after standing vacant and in disrepair for several years, also earned the 2009 Grand Prize from School Planning & Management magazine’s Education Showcase; a 2009 Citation of Excellence from the American Association of School Administrators, the American Institute of Architects, and the Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI); and an award for Best Additions/Renovations Project from the Southeast Region of CEFPI.

The only public high school in the nation to offer both college-preparatory and vocational education exclusively dedicated to the design professions and construction trades, Phelps was transformed by the design-build team of Turner Construction Company and Fanning Howey, with Washington, D.C.-based Bryant Mitchell Architects as associated architect. The team completed the design and construction of the ambitious campus renovation and expansion within a 16-month timeframe to enable the school to reopen in time for the 2008-2009 school year.  The $59 million project was completed approximately $20 million under budget.

The jury cited the “excellent design by utilizing space to create a timeless and artistic connection with the past,” and the “tasteful use of different building materials along with natural lighting that work very well in harmony together. This is a place that just needs to be experienced.”

In awarding the top honors for libraries and media centers to Warren G. Harding Elementary School, the jury commended the space as a “good example of a well-executed design from initial design to completion. It integrated the existing site, making it workable with lots of daylight and glass. The space is very inviting.”

Established in 1961, the firm maintains nine regional offices and a staff of more than 250. Fanning Howey is among the top firms in the U.S. specializing in school design, according to several major national rankings.