Difficult sites pose challenges as city builds new schools

Real Estate Weekly, Jan 10, 2001 by John Ciardullo

As commercial and residential real estate in New York City has boomed in recent years, the need for new and improved public facilities has become apparent. Nowhere is that more evident than in education -- as new school buildings sprout up to relieve overcrowding and reverse decades of inattention.

Recognizing the need, is the first step. The next step, finding usable sites in a congested city, is the real challenge. As I've learned from several jobs my firm has undertaken in New York City "usable" doesn't mean easy. Inevitably, obstacles arise that require unique and innovative design solutions.

It's not this way in the suburbs, as we've learned with our projects in Westchester. Open land, never previously built on, is relatively plentiful. One-story, expansive structures can be erected at half the cost of building in the city environment.

Contrast that with conditions in New York City; not every neighborhood is happy to deal with the perceived problems that come with a school; competing uses may appear more appealing; sites can be small and odd-shaped.

Because most city lots have existing buildings, the demolition of existing structures is required. Often there are abutting buildings that have to be shored-up. The requirements for fire resistance ratings, fireproofing and the inclusion of sprinklers is more stringent in the city than the suburbs.

All of this can't be allowed to overwhelm the need to design schools that are welcoming, that ward off alienation and that serve as true centers of their community. Kids in the city deserve schools with these qualities, just as their suburban counterparts do.

The difficulties encountered in the city can be overcome. Let me mention just three examples of this:

* I.S. 254 in the Bronx was designed for a small, long and shallow sloping site. It was necessary to design the new building right to the property lines (on three sides) to maximize the building square footage while allowing outdoor play areas. Due to the tight site configuration and conditions, the cafeteria and gymnasium that would be typically located on the ground level, were stacked, thereby fulfilling the educational program and providing enough square footage for an outdoor play area. In addition, the sloping condition of the site was mediated with retaining walls to create a small terraced play area at the rear of the property.

* P.S. 268 on Jamaica Avenue in Queens occupies the full footprint of its 21,000-square-foot site. Since all of the ground-level area is required for educational space, the play area for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten is designed as a second-level play terrace while the fourth-level rooftop will become a play yard for the upper grades. Additionally, the odd trapezoidal configuration of the site that would normally create odd corner conditions (not the typical 90-degree angle) were utilized to create an enhanced facade design.

* A promising solution to the site squeeze can also come from adapting privately owned buildings for school use. In Brooklyn, for instance, District 20 has leased an old office building for 20 years. We've changed the facade dramatically with the installation of new entrances and new windows. The refurbished five-floor building has space for district offices and functions for the superintendent as well as multi-purpose rooms available for community use. Classrooms for the district's early childhood center occupy all of the first floor and half of the second creating a mixed-use facility.

Here's a case of the public and private sectors working together for their mutual benefit. We should look for more of these opportunities. Owners of unused or under-used properties can find an alternate use by adapting buildings to include schools, which can be economically feasible and contribute to the public good.

The relative unavailability of easily buildable sites is a challenge to the imagination of designers, planners, school officials and the real estate industry. By forcing us to think in innovative ways, I believe this situation is promoting the creation of schools that better serve the needs of students, teachers, staff and all of us who depend on the public education system to give the residents of the city a sense of common purpose.