Avenues: The World School is a new private
international learning community that introduces an educational model that
responds to the unique educational needs of 21st-century students in
their increasingly connected world. With curriculum shared across the school’s eventual
20 worldwide campuses, the school requires a state-of-the-art facility that
supports a learning environment that traverses time zones and languages while
it educates and inspires. For its inaugural campus in New York City, the client
looked to Perkins Eastman and Bonetti/Kozerski Studio to help create a physical
environment that supports the curriculum and vision and provides a
high-performance stage for 21st-century learning.
In collaboration with Avenues leadership and
engineering firm STV, Perkins Eastman and Bonetti/Kozerski Studio transformed a
landmark 1928 Cass Gilbert warehouse in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan
into a school truly for the future. A restored historic warehouse on the
exterior, the interior spaces as conceived by the design team are decidedly
forward-looking in their programming, technology, finishes, and amenities.
The design team’s design took cues from the 205,000
sf building’s existing floorplan, taking special care to maintain the integrity
of the building’s interior and exterior characteristics that contribute to its
architectural legacy. At ten stories, the building’s verticality allowed for
four distinct schools—Early Learning Center, Lower School, Middle School, and
Upper School—to stack on top of one another in the one building. With high
ceilings and an abundance of natural light, characteristic of the Manhattan
“loft style,” the school emphasizes its urban location through constant visual
connection to the outdoors—and particularly to New York’s celebrated High Line
Park that runs adjacent—setting the stage for a progressive environment for
learning.
Taking
inspiration from Avenues’ vision for a new kind of progressive education, and reflective
of its Chelsea location—New York City’s neighborhood of art galleries and
high-concept fashion—the design provides opportunity throughout the building to
display art, both by famous artists and the students themselves—a further nod
to the client’s desire to inspire beyond preconceived norms. With subtle yet
sophisticated interior design, the school overall provides a serene environment
for learning. Developed in tandem with the curriculum, the design of Avenues
complements the school’s educational goals and is an integral element of this platform
for 21st-century learning.Avenues: The World
School New York opened Fall 2012. Other worldwide locations are currently in
View Original