Feature: The T Project

The T Project

Every school has that place; that unique special space within the school’s walls that only that school has. It may have been a classroom, studio, science lab, or gymnasium. It may have had a particular smell, sound, or feeling that was universally understood among students, teachers, and parents alike. Those shared experiences cemented childhood memories, and upon graduation, alumni to the uniqueness of their alma maters. At Dutchess Day School, there is perhaps nothing more quintessential than the Lower School Tunnel. From the old brickwork burnished by decades of foot traffic and layers of wax, to the drying racks for winter boots, each year the Tunnel comes alive with the echoes of student learning and activity. Lower schoolers store and collect their school materials throughout the year, students sit on the floor worming their way in and out of snowsuits in the winter, and the radiators hiss as drying boots leave puddles behind. The walls are adorned with

Existing Conditions

Corridor Renovation Concept

student-made work produced cyclical by season or by course of study; snow globes in the winter and lady bugs in the spring. It seems only appropriate that Dutchess Day School students’ rite of passage is, in fact, a passageway through the main school building.

As with all things well-loved, time and wear eventually catch up, and care needs to be given to the place or space that has cared so well for us. This is the case for the Lower School Tunnel. Over the last few years, we have looked to our campus with a critical eye, ensuring that our physical plant reflects the magic and learning opportunities that happen within our classrooms. We have refreshed almost every aspect of our campus, and now we turn our attentions to the very artery that ties the wings of our main building together, and connects our students to our beautiful outdoor areas.