New York-based architecture firm CetraRuddy has revealed plans to develop a new 800-student K-12 school in Staten Island, New York. The forthcoming Integration Charter Schools facility will occupy three levels of the eight-story Corporate Commons Three mixed-use complex, which the firm also designed.
“Our goal for the design of the new Integration Charter School was to create an expanded campus that inspires the students and faculty to succeed together as a community,” says CetraRuddy principal Theresa M. Genovese. “The architecture and interior design evolve from our firm’s guiding principles, creating a welcoming, flexible, and highly functional environment that nurtures and supports a range of diverse learning styles and educational needs, and that also enables teachers to do their best work.”
A separate student lobby will welcome students and faculty on the ground floor and host the school’s gyms and cafeterias. Additional social spaces will located on the Lavelle floor to diminish excess noise for other building tenants. Flexible classroom environments—from a full commercial teaching kitchen to a working rooftop farm dedicated to culinary education—will be installed to support a diverse range of learning styles. Overall, the project will be defined by durable finishes and a calm, neutral color palette. Open corridors and classrooms oriented around the building perimeter will maximize daylighting, while large central common spaces will foster community and engagement.
