The Aurelia Greene Educational Campus

The design of this new elementary school is planned to precede a holistic reconstruction of its neighborhood. Part of the Jerome Avenue rezoning in the Bronx, the site is one of the flagship areas in the Mayor’s Initiative to create a more livable city. This area has a history of urban planning decisions that compromised the community identity. In an effort to bring a civic identity back, the design incorporates precedents from two nearby universities.

The exterior design of the school reflects the tone and materiality found in Bronx Community and Lehman colleges. The brick, while smartly modernized in high-performance concrete panels, is directly inspired by brick in the university’s buildings and the green panels abstractly allude to their building’s copper clad rooftops. The fenestration pattern is tightly organized as is common to the referenced buildings in the era of the colleges.

Within the school, planning leverages the sharp grading of the site, allowing student entrances on two levels and a well-lit cellar for the foodservices to directly connect to the outdoor play space. The school was carefully designed with a minimal footprint to maximize the outdoor play area.

The school’s flexible-assembly space, a gymatorium, is located on the top floor where its form is expressed. The school will serve a diverse and growing community as the Mayor’s plan is realized around it. As such, the school’s community spaces will be vital centers and are planned to allow direct access and function independently of the school as needed.

The Aurelia Greene Educational Campus will become an important community asset for the developing neighborhood. This project aspires to be the first step in educating and empowering a new generation in New York.