Tag Archives: k-12 education

Nyack UFSD Elementary + Middle School Global Learning Commons

KG+D began collaborating with Nyack Public Schools on a district wide master plan for their library and media center facilities. Our team then worked with the District to renovate and redesign their district’s libraries into Global Learning Commons. The renovated spaces more purposefully align with the instructional programming, facilitated the appropriate use of technology, provided learning and working space, minimized stacks, and utilized various types of furniture including soft seating.

Dutchess BOCES, Alternative High School @ Salt Point Campus

A 69,000sf Alternative High School will create a permanent and suitable home for a significantly underserved county-wide student body. The programs currently located at the BETA rental site will be relocated and consolidated to the Salt Point Campus. The new facility is conceived as a community asset with a state-of-the-art conference center available to all component Districts and community organizations. Paired renovations of the Career & Technical Institute will address aging facilities and have been planned to maximize space utilization during the day and evening programming opportunities for the Adult Learning Institute. This project is paired with a separate Energy Performance Project.

Valhalla High School/Middle School Library

KG+D collaborated with the Valhalla Union Free School District to renovate their existing High School/Middle School library, flex lab and computer lab into a 21st Century learning environment. The renovated library is open and flexible utilizing low, moveable, stacks and various types of seating and furniture to delineate spaces including collaboration, study, working lounge, work & share, and breakout spaces.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor Community School

KG+D in collaboration with Yonkers Public Schools has designed a new 95,000sf community school, the Justice Sonia Sotomayor Community School. The building, which is currently under construction, will house grades Pre-K through 8th grade and include spaces for art science, special projects, dual language curriculum, and computer science. The physical education wing, which includes a gym and stage, is designed to function as a stand-alone community center after school and on the weekends. The nurse’s office has been specifically enlarged and located near a separate entrance so it can function as a community health clinic after school and on the weekends.

Horace Greeley High School, Sustainability Research Center

KG+D worked with the Chappaqua Central School District to develop a Sustainability Research Center on the Horace Greeley High School campus. At the public-school level, the Center is the first of its kind in the region: a free-standing, 2,000sf, climate controlled, multi-zoned, glass research laboratory. The SRC offers all the tools necessary for students to conduct biological and ecological research year-round and provides students the opportunity to explore the impact of climate change.

The Ursuline School

The goal of The Ursuline School project was to create a new front to a complex of buildings that reflected the quality of the educationalvexperience being offered within. The 1960’s wing provided an outdated and inappropriate first impression of this high performing school. It was also critical to provide an accessible gathering space for the arrival and departure of students.

The design solution created active learning spaces and community gathering areas that supported the school’s leading-edge teaching. The scope of work included the addition of a welcome center, admissions office, a student commons, a STEAM Center, and the development of a courtyard commons.

Cottle Elementary School

KG+D has collaborated with the Tuckahoe Union Free School District to develop district-wide phased capital improvement projects. Projects for Cottle Elementary school include a classroom addition, cafeteria renovation/expansion, library renovation, STEAM classroom construction, security upgrades, gymnasium renovations and athletic field upgrades.

Putnam Valley High School, Health & Wellness Center

The Putnam Valley Central School District’s Health and Wellness Center was designed to support and enable active learning opportunities as well as meet the needs of student-athletes and community programs. The Center, the first of its kind in the region, includes a 140×80 turf athletic field with a perimeter area for walking/jogging, a netting system to divide the spaces, batting cages, and an area for digital instruction including wall mounted tables and Kinesiology Wall.

Greenwich Public Schools, Cardinal Stadium

KG+D collaborated with Greenwich Public Schools on additions and renovations to Greenwich High School’s Cardinal Stadium. The first phase of the project includes the addition of a new bleacher system with a team room, athletic training space, restroom facilities, snack bar, outdoor seating area, press box as well as a new entry kiosk. The second phase includes the development of new tennis courts, additional parking and visitors’ bleachers and building.

Edgewood Elementary School

KG+D collaborated with the Scarsdale Union Free School District to develop a 21st Century library for the Edgewood Elementary School. The project created a new library with various spaces for collaborative study and learning. The main desk is positioned at the center of the space with sight lines to two large, open library spaces and an adjacent technology lab. Traditional stacks intermingle with varied height and flexible furniture, soft seating and a welcoming reading nook. The technology lab offers opportunity for hands on learning and making.

Eastchester High School

The Eastchester High School project upgraded and expanded key instructional spaces to meet the academic demands of a 21st Century Education while accommodating a significant increase in enrollment. In order to address both of the 1927 High Schools’ challenges, the design solution sought to create Collegiate quality social and student support space while also creating collaborative, forward-thinking Next Generation learning environments.

Darien High School Cafeteria

KG+D’s collaboration with Darien High School began with a comprehensive study that explored options for both the expansion and re-imagination of the cafeteria in order to effectively maximize space and seating. The renovated and expanded cafeteria is open and light-filled and looks onto the high school athletic fields. The school’s mascot, The Blue Wave, is featured on an acoustic paneled wall that separates the cafeteria and a connecting corridor. There are various options for dining including counter height bars and seating. A a break-out lounge space utilizes flexible, soft seating and white boards to facilitate informal learning and collaboration.

Greenwich Academy, Dining Commons

KG+D collaborated with Greenwich Academy on the renovation of their Dining Commons into an open and light-filled space within the facilities’ existing footprint. With separate seating areas for the lower, middle, and upper school students, key spaces were reconfigured to provide better access, traffic flow, and sightlines. The café provides snacks in-between classes and booth seating and high-top tables create a drop in space for before and after school.

Scarsdale High School, Learning Commons + Design Lab

The Learning Commons was developed in the original gymnasium and is comprised of the main floor and a new mezzanine level. A “learning stair” connects the two levels providing an easy connection and creating informal “stadium-like” seating for gathering and performance. On both levels, the main spaces are flanked by two glass-fronted small group spaces that can be used for conferences, group work, or small classes.

Scarsdale High School, Fitness Center

The overarching goal of the Scarsdale High School project was to maximize underutilized areas of the building in order to create modern fitness facilities supportive of the High School’s Next Generation student. The Fitness Center was relocated to a former storage room with large windows and direct access to the playing fields. The concept includes a central area with cardio equipment and a stretching and free weight area in addition to two distinct weight training stations. The space was designed to provide adequate year-round training for the full range of athletic teams and support the physical education curriculum, which emphasizes lifelong fitness.

JFK Elementary School

The design team collaborated with the Brewster Central School District to complete key renovation and addition projects that transformed the JFK Elementary School into a Next Generation school. The project included a six-classroom addition, a library and cafeteria expansion and the renovation of the auditorium and roundhouse learning spaces.

Eagle Hill School, Hardwick House

KG+D completed additions and renovations to the Eagle Hill Schools’ Hardwick House. The project created a new main entry sequence, improved vertical circulation, renovated administrative offices and renovated and repurposed classroom and dormitory spaces. The Great Hall dining space was renovated and includes a new kitchen and servery, the option for private dining spaces and an adjacent outdoor terrace featuring a fire pit.

Middletown High School, Pool Facility

KG+D completed a renovation and rehabilitation of the Midddletown High School pool facility. The project included an assessment of the existing facilities and the development of a comprehensive report. The findings resulted in the replacement of pool systems including a new Chloramine Evacuator and Ultraviolet Filtration as well as a new HVAC system and pool boiler replacement. Additionally, updated finishes included the pool deck, pool basin, and diving boards.

Middletown High School, Innovation Lab

The overarching goal for the Middletown High School project was to ‘build out the feeling of poverty’ and create a larger vision of a school that didn’t feel economically restrained. The project developed a 10,000sf, technology infused, learning commons at the high school’s center as well as a 28,000sf addition with a 1760sf innovation space, new entry sequence and connection to a new classroom wing.

Trinity Pawling, Smith Field House

The Smith Field House project involved an addition that joined multiple disconnected athletic facilities—including a gymnasium, wrestling pavilion, squash courts and ice rink—to create a central athletic hub on campus. At approximately 30,000sf, the field house is now the largest building on campus, and it houses a gymnasium with two full basketball courts with upper-level spectator seating, a half court with workout space, a new main entry and lobby space, a terrace gathering spaces and an Alumni and Athletic Hall of Fame Room.

Bronxville High School, Auditorium Restoration

Originally built in 1922, the Bronxville School auditorium was urgently in need of reconfiguration and restoration. In spite of ongoing work to maintain the facility, by 2012 the auditorium was in a state of disrepair with missing seats, poor lighting, improper sightlines, and non-functional balcony that was no longer in use. Additionally, a 1960s renovation created a false proscenium over the original and closed in the tall windows on both sides of the auditorium. As a result, the renovated proscenium swallowed performance sound and the lack of natural light reduced the auditorium’s flexibility.

CV Starr Intermediate School

KG+D completed a two-story and four-classroom addition for the CV Starr Intermediate School. The addition was connected by new corridors and a stairwell and houses fourth grade classrooms. The wing has SGI classrooms on each level and the classrooms feature a moveable wall to allow for inter-classroom collaboration and custom casework to enhance storage and work display.

Post Road Elementary School

The project for the Post Road Elementary School involved the replacement of an aging traditional 1914 school building with a vibrant 21st Century educational facility that has earned an Energy Star rating of 100 and at the time completion it was the most energy-efficient public school in New York State. The goal was to create an inviting and engaging neighborhood school that supported the district’s emerging programming and enrollment needs while utilizing responsible design solutions.

Brewster High School, Innovation Lab

The project involved the renovation of the high school’s current library into a library/innovation lab that will include small group rooms, presentation and video area, small group learning spaces, large group learning spaces and a collaboration counter. The large group learning space will be flexible and will be able to be broken down into smaller group learning spaces as required. The innovation lab will feature soft seating, “graffiti boards,” charging stations, break out areas, working lounges and different types of collaboration spaces.

Brewster CSD, Athletic Fields/Facilities

KG+D planned and designed a new synthetic turf field for Brewster Central School District including bleacher seating for 1,100 home spectators and 300 visitors, field lighting, score board, lacrosse netting and storm water retention system. A second phase of the project included the construction of a new concession stand that was designed to be a three-season building and includes restroom facilities, a space for athletic team/concession sales and an adjacent fenced in outdoor space for grilling.

Jacob Burns Film Center, Media Arts Lab

The Media Arts Lab at the Jacob Burns Film Center is a 27,000sf education center offering instructional programs in many forms of filmmaking and multi-media production. The Film Center’s mission is grounded in developing 21st century literacy skills, including critical viewing and production skills which are essential for a generation growing up in a world in which media and technology are increasingly the way we communicate, participate in community and engage in democracy and the global economy. The demand for this program curriculum led the Film Center to launch a Campaign for 21st Century Education to provide for the design and construction of a “center for celebrating the stories that live in each and every person:” The Media Arts Lab.

The U.S. Green Building Council recognized the MAL for process and results in sustainable design by awarding it with LEED Gold certification. Key sustainable features of note include extensive day lighting, geothermal wells, photovoltaic panels, a green roofing system, low/no-flow plumbing fixtures, and local and recycled building materials. The facility was constructed on the site of an existing building which was deconstructed with 85% of the building materials being recycled. The owners were motivated by the concept that a building itself could function as an educational tool and “green fact” signs throughout the building call out sustainable features and elements with explanations and notes on the impact of choices.

Seven Bridges Middle School

The new Seven Bridges School is a 160,000 sf middle school that was built on a wooded 43-acre site. The campus is accessed from a long uphill winding driveway paralleling a feeder brook adjacent to the Croton Reservoir. The driveway connects into a perfectly circular loop road that wraps around the new school and lower athletic playing field. Symbolically, this physical and educational plan represents the development of both mind and body together. The building consists of classic materials including brick, cast limestone, natural wood detailing, and copper roofs. The design nestles into the slope of the site, and is one story on the uphill side and two-and-a-half stories from the approach up the driveway.

Pleasantville High School

This complex renovation and expansion of a traditional 1929 brick school building involved the addition of two new major wings at the front of the building and complete infrastructure replacement and restoration. New spaces included a new, state-of-the-art library/media center with telecast capability, science wing, cafeteria, guidance suite and administration. Infrastructure included heating plan replacement, HVAC, window replacement, replicate of slate roof, and masonry restoration.

Ridgefield Academy, The Bridge

KG+D collaborated with Ridgefield Academy to create a student-centered space that would accommodate the school’s emerging programming needs. The result of this collaboration is a brand new technology-rich library learning commons and digital arts lab named “The Bridge.” Major features include the traditional media-infused library, a gallery with flat panel screens to showcase student projects, a filming workshop with green screen technology, and a large Macintosh lab.

Orange-Ulster BOCES Regional Education Center at Arden Hill

Orange Ulster BOCES Regional Education Center at Arden Hill was a major adaptive reuse project of the former Arden Hill Hospital Campus. The project goal was to create a renovated facility that consolidated current programs in close proximity to the neighboring BOCES campus and provided space for increase enrollment and additional offerings. The challenge was to create a facility that was unrecognizable as a hospital campus and clearly identifiable as a welcoming and engaging learning environment.

Eastchester Middle School

The Eastchester Middle School was too small to meet the community’s growing needs and programs were overflowing into the adjoining high school spaces. The first phase of the design solution was submitted on a “fast-track” and included the work to reorient the rear entrance and create a construction staging area. The second phase of the project included a large addition to the middle school encompassing 14 new classrooms, 5 additional bathrooms, space reconfiguration, an elevator, an expanded cafeteria, relocation of the special needs classrooms and energy efficient improvements in heating and lighting.

The Harvey School, Arts Center

KG+D completed a new 24,100sf new Arts Center for The Harvey School. The visual and performing arts facility includes music, art and photography classrooms, video and dance studios and a gallery to display student work. The centerpiece of the project is a 3,400 sq. ft. black box theater designed to seat more than 200. The theater has movable partitions that open to create space for audience overflow into the gallery and as well as a flexible stage that can be moved to accommodate a variety of performances.

Trinity Pawling School, Scully Dining Hall

The objectives for the Scully Dining Hall project were to increase capacity to serve the entire student and faculty community in one seating and create a cornerstone to enhance the presence of the north entrance to campus. Scully Hall is 40% larger and operates 30% more efficiently than the building it replaced. The centerpiece is a 6,000sf main dining room that seats 400 diners at round tables beneath dramatic curved heavy timber trusses and clerestory windows.

Trinity Pawling School, Athletic Field + Tennis Courts

KG+D planned and designed a new 86,000sf synthetic turf field outfitted with a bleacher/pressbox combination and lighting for night games. The David N. Coratti Field replaced an unleveled natural grass field and was relocated to provide for a new West campus entry and ample athletic facility parking. The tennis center includes nine hard-surface courts, viewing areas and a gazebo encompassing storage areas and restroom facilities.

Trinity Pawling School, Faculty Housing

KG+D designed 10 units of faculty housing for Trinity Pawling School with a central green and commons. The objective of the new housing was to attract and retain talented faculty and staff. The new housing units include one large mult-family residence building known as “The Arches” and three single family homes. The physical design is in the tradition of the campus’ original aesthetic and the interior design blends traditional style with contemporary living.

Roslyn High School

Roslyn High School sought to transform an aging series of disconnected cafeteria spaces into a cohesive, technology-rich cafeteria commons for the students of Roslyn High School. The design solution removed cafeteria and corridor walls to create a bright, open commons with day lighting, views to the outside, access to an outdoor terrace, and 162 additional seats in a more flexible configuration. The Cafeteria Commons also features flat panel monitors, wireless technology and charging stations.

Henry H. Wells Middle School

Brewster Central School District sought to remake their 1957 middle school to create a renewed and efficient facility that could match their 21st Century curriculum and programming. The district’s goals were to enhance the overall efficiency of the building in terms of energy performance, grade-level clustering, scheduling, student flow, the potential for shared resources, and public use of facilities.

Dobbs Ferry Middle/High School Cafeteria

Dobbs Ferry Union Free School District sought to transform their middle/high school cafeteria into an inviting cafeteria commons and create a resource for the Dobbs Ferry community. The reorganized and redesigned cafeteria features a more flexible configuration, utilizes natural light and the adjacent courtyard, created improved circulation and provided for more efficient kitchen and servery facilities.

John Jay Middle School

Additions and renovations at John Jay Middle School included a new main entrance and lobby, a gymnasium, and an academic wing. Curving around the original student drop-off/pick-up loop, the new light-filled lobby was designed to solve two functional problems exacerbated by recent population growth: a single point of entry and extreme corridor congestion. The classroom and gymnasium addition in the rear respects the crisp modular 1970 original white concrete and black window mullions design while applying current materials and construction technologies.

John Jay High School

Additions and renovations at John Jay High School included a new science and classroom center. The major elements of this new classroom wing included universal science labs, general classrooms, small group instruction rooms, an administrative and conference area and new window walls in the original 1950s building. In addition to meeting the program goals, the design solution creates a cohesive building with improved circulation paths and a beautiful and unified exterior appearance.

Somers High School

Additions and renovations to Somers High School were planned and implemented as part of a bond referendum to address District-wide space needs. The original building had been expanded several times and lacked an identifiable, secure, front entrance. New additions placed a new highly visible entry corridor and main office suite and common areas—including a new four-station gymnasium, cafeteria and student commons—at the front of the building where they are accessible for athletic programs and community activities outside of school hours.

Somers Middle School

A steady influx of new housing in Somers led enrollment to grow by more than 1,000 students over a 10-year period. After extensive pre-bond planning, which included exploration of conceptual designs and budgets for a new middle school, KG+D helped the District develop a well-balanced, cost-effective plan for additions and renovations to their existing middle school. The additions included a new 630 seat auditorium, cafeteria expansion, new main entrance, a 2-story classroom additions, science labs and infrastructure upgrades.

The Kensico School

This new school for grades 2-5 was designed as a traditional country school in a contemporary vocabulary. Arranged in a “house” pattern, the building contains four different secondary corridors or “houses” that radiate out; one for each grade level and one for special education and special subjects. Shared community spaces including the cafeteria, library, main office, art and computer rooms are located in the main corridor and easily accessible to all grade levels.

Bedford Road Elementary School

This new K-4 school is a traditional village school that replaced Pleasantville’s original Bedford Road School, built in 1909. The design program led to a new building that is nearly twice the size of the earlier school and follows a house plan, with separate areas for kindergarten, and grades 1-2 and 3-4. By locating the kindergarten house close to the front entrance, Kindergarteners receive a “slow entry” into the public school environment. Every kindergarten room has its own toilet room and exit doors to exterior play areas and gardens. This floor plan eliminates the need for younger children to regularly cross paths with older children, even when traveling to shared spaces such as the cafeteria and gymnasium.

The new facility features a mini-theatre and full-size gymnasium on the north end of the school that can be closed off and utilized by the community outside of school hours. The cafeteria has expansive windows and skylights that allow in natural light creating a bright and inviting common space. Connecting classrooms support team teaching and provide added security. Other major elements include music and art suites, and a large library with a stepped reading alcove and adjacent technology classroom.

White Plains High School, Athletic Fields

KG+D collaborated with White Plains Public Schools on athletic facilities projects that included the installation of two artificial turf athletic fields at two different sites, two stadiums including 1,300 bleacher seats at White Plains High School, press boxes, locker facilities, lighting, track and field events and installation and the reconstruction of tennis courts.

Pear Tree Point School, Gymnasium

This new building replaced an original gymnasium within the existing footprint and provides a beautiful day-lit space for physical education and school activities. The 4.8 acre campus comprises just four buildings: administration, classroom building, gymnasium and a cottage. A goal of the design was to create a flexible space and aesthetic that would accommodate a variety of assemblies and programs. The classic New England barn exterior complements the architectural vernacular of the existing campus buildings and the surrounding community.

Green Chimneys, Ross Hall

KG+D completed the reconstruction of Ross Hall within the original building’s existing foundation. The reconstruction of the building reflected the original building and overall campus aesthetic while creating five flexible and modern classrooms and two resource room spaces. The building utilizes natural light and several classrooms feature lofted ceilings with clerestory windows. The interior finishes are sustainable and durable, and furnishings are flexible and moveable to allow for a wide variety of classroom configurations.

White Plains High School

Additions and renovations at White Plains High School included a new media center, a science wing, multiple cafeteria spaces and major alterations to the exterior. Originally built in 1962, the campus plan was dominated by the modernist concrete structural grid. The challenge was to sensitively renovate the exterior façade to create a more inviting group of buildings while respecting the original design. Still in fine shape, the structure became the framework to expand insufficient teaching spaces and replace aging building systems.

Horace Greeley High School

Part of a district-wide bond referendum for the Chappaqua Central School District, the primary focus of this addition and alterations project at Horace Greeley High School was to add a new science wing and reorganize and renovate all existing science labs. New construction totaled more than 50,000 sf and included a new guidance building, music wing and a classroom building that added fourteen new classrooms to accommodate increased enrollment. Two new student common areas were created and new connecting corridors were designed to link six previously separate buildings for a unified campus with improved circulation. The project also included an expanded guidance center new administration offices and main entrance, additional parking and infrastructure upgrades.