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Blue School Middle School

New York, NY

Exterior

Education

Inspired by Blue School’s philosophy that learning is best achieved through collaboration, we ensured that every space in the Upper Primary and Middle School—from the classroom to the lunchroom—cultivates planned and spontaneous group learning.

Project Category
Education
The school's entry is set back from the street in Lower Manhattan, creating a generous sense of welcome as well as the opportunity for a 10-foot-square exterior art wall.

A contemporary street level facade along the length of William Street maximizes natural light with large windows and animates the street with a warm palate of durable ipe wood slats and accents of strong saturated color.

A variety of informal seating options, tinted concrete floors, an exposed ceiling, and colorful outdoor furniture give The Commons a welcoming feeling.

“The Commons”

A pick-up and drop-off area. A student lounge. A study hall. A café. A community space. The Commons is all of it. We partnered with Brooklyn Grange to line the walls with a system of tiered, planted trays that function as a small-scale urban garden and bring the outdoors inside.
Library Detail
Library (2)

The library occupies the prominent southwest corner of the second and third floors. We removed a portion of the third floor to create a book-lined double height space, celebrating this critical component of the new school. Research terminals and white oak bookshelves balance digital and conventional media. Custom common tables and a monumental sofa give students a wide variety of options for study.

Extra generous in its proportions and painted a high gloss neon yellow, the stair was designed as more than just primary circulation; it’s also a vertical room that knits together this multi-level school.

On the lower level, a 1,600 square-foot
column-free space for sports and performances was achieved by removing a central building column and introducing new steel to maintain the structural integrity of the building.
A maker and
art space features butcher-block work surfaces, under-counter stools, art
tables, a shared materials library, and 3D printer tables designed specifically
for digital and handmade projects.
Non-directional desks accommodate seating on three of the four sides, allowing them to be reconfigured. Each classroom also has a
small area devoted to quiet study, with raised carpeted platforms in saturated colors.
On the lower level, a student lounge and informal pre-function space features walls clad with
colorful, geometric wallpaper by Brooklyn’s Flavor Paper. Blue foam lounge
furniture was inspired by Rockwell Group’s Imagination Playground.