Early in the planning for the new Upper School, architects involved students in the process. One middle schooler asked the insightful question: “Would the earth be happy with the decisions we made?” With the new building set to open in Fall 2026 and on target to receive Platinum WELL certified and LEED Gold certifications, everyone involved is working hard to ensure that the answer is “yes.”

Quaker principles of simplicity, integrity, and stewardship have guided design and construction, beginning with the decision to repurpose 80 percent of the existing structure.

“In a throwaway culture, building a new Upper School could have been a pretty rote undertaking,” says Sidwell Trustee David Milner ’86 who has been involved in the project from the beginning. “Instead, by reclaiming and reusing what’s there, we can be simple yet powerful and effective.”

This approach conserves the energy and materials already in the building. And with new geothermal wells and solar panels to generate renewable energy, Sidwell is on a path to creating a carbon-neutral campus.

A commitment to tackling carbon emissions has been a consistent theme in all our work with the School." -Tim Bertschinger

“A commitment to tackling carbon emissions has been a consistent theme in all our work with the School,” says Tim Bertschinger, associate principal at Perkins Eastman DC, the project’s architects. “The decision to use efficient ground source heat pump systems coupled with other onsite renewable energy harvesting like photovoltaics, allows for a building that operates to minimize carbon footprint.” 

In addition to its low-impact on the environment, the new 130,000 square-foot building’s design promotes successful learning and community wellness. The goal of earning Platinum WELL certification, the highest rating possible, demonstrates Sidwell’s dedication to sustainable design and creating healthier environments. WELL building certification focuses on 10 concepts including air, water, nourishment, light, movement, thermal comfort, sound, materials, mind, and community.

Olivia Sisson ’27, who will be a senior in the new Upper School when it opens in 2026, joined Sidwell Friends as a Middle School student. She had a front row seat to how the Middle School — a Platinum LEED certified building — enriched the experience of students and faculty. “I was in eighth grade studying the environment and recognized how the building we were learning in was designed for sustainability. It expanded my awareness of how we personally affect the environment. I’m excited that the future Upper School will also be green.” 

As a member of the student club Friends Environmental Action Team (FEAT), Olivia and her friends look forward to learning even more about the environment in and through the new building. “It’s an exciting opportunity for us to explore our new school building that we will inhabit every day and become closer to the local environment because of its design,” she says. “Sometimes environmental issues can feel farther away than they are, and the new Upper School building will hopefully inspire more students to be interested in the environment.” 

As a Quaker school, we strive to make our community a better place and to be stewards of the environment." -Olivia Sisson '27

Olivia also notes her enthusiasm for the WELL certification goal, citing the emphasis on access to several outdoor spaces and incorporating natural light as a proven betterment for overall health and connecting the Light in Quakerism. “As a Quaker school, we strive to make our community a better place and to be stewards of the environment. Spaces designed to be in nature where friends can be together in a way that limits our impact is exciting. The use of natural light also adds to the Light in our community.” 

Upper School Principal Robert Gross says, “Not only will the spaces and classrooms facilitate a better, healthier learning experience, but we see the building as providing students with the kind of environment and values they love about Sidwell Friends — community and connection, dialogue among students and between students and faculty, and environmental stewardship.”

He explains how the building itself will be a teaching platform that faculty are eager to make the most of. Physics students will have a fun new range of multilevel terrains for launching projectiles and collecting data related to motion. Engineering and science classes will study the workings of the geothermal pumps and solar panels. The robotics program will be transformed by direct access to outdoor space and a significantly greater ability to test prototypes. Using the building’s adjacent outdoor spaces and its test kitchen, life science and environmental science teachers are planning project-based learning that encourages students to think critically about sustainability, along with biological and chemical processes in plant life and food.

From that first visioning conversation, students have continued to be actively engaged in the work of creating the new Upper School. Architect Tim Bertschinger says, “It’s a privilege to build a project with a focus on the wellness of the community — a community that extends to all the living beings who inhabit and use the campus. From a bee census to conversations about bird-safe glazing, he says, “we have had so many opportunities to engage students and faculty, digging into the details of what it means to leave the world better than you found it.”

Grounded in Quaker values, Sidwell Friends is committed to stewardship of the earth. Each day students learn how their actions affect the environment and our green buildings on campus have served as models for sustainability. Beginning with the renovation of our Middle School and continuing through the construction of the Quaker Meeting House and now the new Upper School, we have demonstrated our commitment to sustainable design and environmentally friendly construction. Several buildings on the DC and Bethesda campuses have earned LEED Gold or Platinum ratings. Sidwell Friends has been recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council for its efforts.