Designing a school that connects with the neighborhood

New York City School Construction Authority

Piercing the heart of Brooklyn’s richly dense Bay Ridge neighborhood, Third Avenue is a vibrant commercial strip with historic storefronts and brick facades that frame an inspiring view of the famed Verrazano Bridge. New York City’s new K053 School rises proudly beside this vital boulevard, opposite Steadman Square: a rare public open space at a bend of the urban grid that marks entry to this proud waterfront community.

Seizing upon this curious quirk of the street grid, this 60,000 square foot pre-kindergarten through grade five school stacks all classrooms along the north-facing Steadman Square façade, providing each primary learning space optimal natural light and distant views of the city. This simple organizing gesture places supporting educational resources and specialized instruction spaces at immediate reach, opposite a short central hall that scales learning and promotes tailored instruction. Construction speed is enhanced by design of a hybrid reinforced concrete frame and long-span steel structure, and through use of a quickly erected panelized precast building enclosure that minimizes disruption to local traffic.

Our team served as the architect to help bring this project to life. Upon completion, the community will have a brand-new school where kids can learn and play in a safe, modern environment.