Ware Malcomb announces IIDA award-winning project

San Francisco — Ware Malcomb announced its LePort Montessori Schools project in downtown San Francisco was honored with the “Give Award” from the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) at the 2017 IIDA Northern California Chapter Honor Awards ceremony. Ware Malcomb provided interior architecture and design services for the project.

The 2017 IIDA Give Award is presented annually to one project in any category chosen by the jury with an emphasis on improving the physical space’s impact on society.

The LePort Montessori Schools project involved transforming a dilapidated, abandoned building in extreme disrepair into a new 22,260-square-foot Montessori school for infants, toddlers and preschoolers in the area. The new school includes an indoor play area, outdoor playground, infant rooms, toddler rooms, preschool/kindergarten classrooms, a gardening room, staff lounge, meeting room and break room.

Because of the historical significance of the building, extreme care was given to preserving the original features and finishes in the final design, including replicating pre-existing ironwork, woodwork, windows and doors that needed to be repaired or replaced. Steel beams and exposed original brickwork line the walls to maintain the building’s structural integrity.

“Once a rundown building, LePort Montessori Schools is now a gleaming beacon of charm and style in the heart of downtown San Francisco,” said Rhea Butler, Director, Interior Architecture & Design at Ware Malcomb. “The school boasts full classes and a wait list of children excited and eager to be part of this beautiful and appealing learning environment.”

The general contractor for the project was BCCI Construction.