Urban Design

New Queens School Makes Most of Unsuited Site

by Kyla K. Wilson

Like many neighborhoods in New York City, which in the last census topped 8 million residents for the first time in decades, public schools in the Elmhurst section of Queens are packed to the gills.

Now, as part of a $9 billion school capital program largely geared to reduce overcrowding, the New York City School Construction Authority is addressing Elmhurst’s needs through construction of a new primary and intermediate school.

The new P.S./I.S. 260, located on a tight site between 99th and 100th streets on Roosevelt Avenue in Elmhurst, will hold 996 students across the street from the existing P.S. 19, where enrollment equalled 108% of the programmed capacity in 2005, the most recent data from the N.Y.C. Department of Education. It also topped 100% in 2003 and 2004.

“There are a number of schools in this area, most of them way above capacity” says Michael Wolfe, project executive at Hunter Roberts Construction Group of New York, which is general contractor on the $44 million project.

Construction began in July 2006 on the 110,000-sq-ft, five-story school, which is set to open in September 2008 on a design by London-based Pasanella + Klein Stolzman + Berg Architects, with Robert Silman Associates of New York as structural engineer and  Cosentini Associates of New York as the mechanical engineer.

The fairly small site was not well suited for a school, especially with an elevated subway line 15 ft. over Roosevelt Avenue.

The site conditions helped to guide the form of the structure, leaving it in an L shape. From the start, Pasanella organized the massing of the building in a way that left instructional rooms as far away from the subway line as possible, says Tim Witzig, senior associate at the firm.

The building has two segments that follow the site borders. Spaces like the auditorium, library, gymnasium, and cafeteria were placed along Roosevelt Avenue and the elevated tracks. The wing along quieter 100th Street has classrooms.

The site and unique design also influenced the colors chosen for the building.

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The school’s main entrance and major circulation spaces act as a hinge for the two wings. Set back from 100th Street, the entrance creates an outdoor arrival plaza. The lobby will have an 80-ft-long, 23-ft-high art installation, a continuous mural with three-dimensional aspects. There is also a secondary entry from 99th Street.

The two entries anchor a double-height, through-block circulation spine that connects the major public spaces of the school along Roosevelt Avenue, including facilities that the larger community can use, such as the gymnasium, auditorium, and 300-seat cafeteria.

The design team determined that having a high level of noise from the nearby train was acceptable for the gymnasium and cafeteria, as well as the auditorium, which doesn’t need windows for performances. But in the library, the design calls for acoustically soundproof, double-pane windows to muffle noise from trains.

The exterior cladding consists largely of brick, though other materials include clear insulated glass; profiled prefinished steel panels; aluminum curtain wall; solid glass block; concrete masonry units; preformed wood-veneered phenolic resin panels; and perforated metal panels.

The construction effort has involved extensive monitoring of site conditions to ensure that the work does not disturb the largely residential neighborhood.

“We had little room for equipment,” says Dean Johanson, the SCA’s senior project officer. “You have to be careful working around residential buildings.”

The design reserves parts of the site south of 100th Street for play areas, which are positioned in the middle of the block in order to maximize light and safety. But the space is small, appearing more like a brownstone’s backyard than a traditional playground. A 30-ft-wide playground runs around the entire classroom bar, and kindergarten rooms open directly onto it.

“Schools aren’t the same as they were 30 years ago,” Johanson says. “We don’t have huge yards where you can push the kids out and let them run around. We can’t get that type of real estate.”

The school also is a showcase for the SCA’s new design guidelines adopted last year that allow more steel framing, use of ceramic tile, ducted mechanical systems, and other elements, Witzig says.

“They’re building smarter, quicker, and more cost effectively,” he adds. “We welcome it because it’s much easier and gives us more flexibility.”

Key Players

Owner-Program Manager: New York City Department of Education; New York City School Construction Authority

Construction Manager: Hunter Roberts Construction Group, New York

Architect: Pasanella + Klein Stolzman + Berg Architects, New York

Structural Engineer: Robert Silman Associates, New York

Mechanical Engineer: Cosentini Associates, New York

Civil Engineer: AKRF, New York

Geotechnical Services: Pillori Associates, Laurence Harbor, N.J.

Elevator Design: Iros Elevator Design Service, Lyndhurst, N.J.

Acoustical Consultant: Cerami & Associates, New York