The New Heights Academy Charter School originally occupied part of the cellar and first and second floors of an 1885 landmarked building that was formerly a silk ribbon mill. We designed an expansion that allowed the school to expand to fill the majority of the three-story building. To accommodate the school’s growing student population, our new plan allowed for an additional 17 classrooms, made possible by infilling an existing double height sanctuary space on the third floor. The infill also provided an opportunity to connect the school’s circulation, allowing the flow and identity of the school to be codified in spite of its existing leggy configuration. Working within a tight budget, we created a design that used the school’s signature colors in a creative way, incorporating zips of colors in the stair wells and corridors. We took advantage of the original “K” shape of the building to maximize daylight in the single-loaded corridors and the classrooms.

The project was developed by New Heights Academy Charter School and Civic Builders Inc.

Client: Civic Builders

Construction Manager: TLM Group

Structural: Dunne & Markis Consulting Structural Engineers

Mechanical: Jack Green Associates

Lighting: Jim Conti Lighting Design

Historical Consultant: Higgins Quasebarth & Partners

General Contractor: Kel-Mar Designs

Photography: T. Ligamari