School With A View

Columbia University GSAPP

Studio Critic: Gordon Kipping

Core II, Spring 2020

The Extinction Rebellion, or XR, is a global environmental movement that aims to use nonviolent protests to compel government action on climate change. Located in the Lower East Side of New York City, the XR School is a public K-8 elementary school with a curricular focus on climate change. The design utilizes the structure of an existing school designed by C.B.J. Snyder in 1906.

In addition to fighting climate change, School With A View aims to fight another crisis— childhood obesity. In keeping with sustainability, the existing school will be kept in its entirety and an addition will be added on the roof and off of the back. The roof addition will house a gymnasium and the rear addition will house a grand staircase. Both additions will be glass to capitalize on the unobstructed, panoramic views of the entire city.

The school will operate on a weekday/ weekend program basis. On weekdays the school will operate solely as a school and on weekends the basement level, new grand staircase, gym, greenhouses and urban farms will be open to the public.

ORIGINAL MASSING

The existing building will be kept.

ROOF ADDITION

An addition will be added on the roof.

REFINED ROOF ADDITION

The roof addition will be on the southern half of the building to capitalize on sunlight and natural light.

ROOF ADDITION FORM

The form of the roof addition will mimic the existing building with a center piece and two identical side pieces.

REAR ADDITION

An addition will be added to the rear of the building to create access to the roof addition.

NEW STAIRCASE

A staircase will be added in the rear addition.

ADDITION MASSING

The massing of the original building and the massing of the roof addition and rear addition.

Programmatically, School With A View will accommodate classrooms, laboratories, play spaces, assembly spaces, student services, an urban farm, a greenhouse and a teaching kitchen.

Lobby and entrance for the school.

Administration and student services will be located on the first floor so they are separate from educational spaces and aren’t in the public spaces.

Kindergarten classrooms will be on the first floor for ease of access for parents and students. Upper level classrooms will be south facing so they will get ample sunlight throughout the day.

There will be a library on every floor and will change with the changing needs of the grades on that floor. Specialized education— the art studio, woodshop and music studio— will be located in the large open spaces opposite the library. Science labs will be south facing on the fifth floor.

The greenhouse and urban farm will be south facing and on the roof. Cafeteria and kitchen spaces will be in the basement. During the school day children can eat and make as much noise as they please without disturbing learning and on the weekend these spaces will be open for the public.

The auditorium will be in the basement and will be open to the public. The gymnasium will be in the roof addition and auxiliary gym spaces— locker rooms, coach’s office and team room— will be on the floor directly below the gym.

Structurally, the existing floor plates, columns and vertical masonry walls will remain. Floor plates, timber truss systems and a roof will be added to support the additions.