Schemmer’s Columbian Elementary School and the Post Lofts Projects Awarded AIA Nebraska's Excellence in Design People's Choice Awards 2021
Schemmer’s Omaha Public Schools’ Columbian Elementary School project and The Post Lofts in Lincoln were awarded AIA Nebraska's Excellence in Design People's Choice Awards 2021. Learn more about the projects and watch the presentation here.
The People's Choice Awards offer the public an opportunity to view entries from the AIA Nebraska Excellence in Design program. The public is then able to participate in a separate online voting process to determine their favorite architecture projects. Over 1,000 individuals viewed the 107 entries received from Nebraska architects in eight architectural categories.
The Post Lofts
The Post Lofts critically engages our existing building stock to create meaningful places in our city. Schemmer embraces the idea that existing buildings are the most sustainable buildings. The Post Lofts project is an example of our commitment to this belief.
The Post Lofts project is a 25,000 SF mixed-use urban rehabilitation project. Three early 1900s buildings combine into a single address with a new structure, modern utilities, façade restoration, and historically accurate window replacement. Super insulation increases building performance and energy efficiency.
The street-level space is home to commercial tenants, inserting new retail within the downtown core. On the upper levels, seven residential units connect the historic buildings by way of existing and newly cut openings in the multi-wythe brick bearing walls. The living units and public spaces highlight original hand-painted advertising murals found during construction. With new windows and sustainable sun tubes, daylight is able to enter deep into The Post Lofts units. Inside the living units, lofts create various double-height spaces and add the value of greater floor space. Tenants can access a private rooftop deck from the third floor.
Click here to learn more about The Post Lofts project
Treehouse | Columbian Elementary School
At the center of the two-story library is a thoughtful and purposeful element of student interaction and engagement. Schemmer sought out to solve multiple aspects of the building program and the numerous building systems involved in the library with a single design move: creating a Treehouse that was essential to the space, leaving the library dependent on it for its very existence.
For the structure of the space, in lieu of intermediate columns regularly spaced throughout, columns are bundled in the center. The columns taper outward at the base, and extend up and outward, creating a concave roof from above. This allows for the structure of the tree to become the structure of the building, clad in a warm, bark-like textured surface of transparent wood grilles.
Lighting and acoustics reside in the canopy, interspersed through the structural branches, with a porous and transparent surface serving as a welcoming and protective cover for children to gather.
Through the thoughtful integration of building systems, the treehouse defines the space, serves the space, and inspires and engages students.
Click here to learn more about the Columbian Elementary School project
Design with Purpose. Build with Confidence.
Schemmer is a full-service architecture, engineering, and construction field services, consultant. Providing responsible solutions for complex design and construction-related challenges.
Founded in 1959, we are grounded in our past but remain fully committed to the future. Located in four states and seven offices throughout the Midwest, Schemmer is providing services to clients from coast-to-coast and border-to-border across the United States.
