FACILITY OF THE MONTH The Concept of Villages and Commons A hallmark of CQA’s design is the concept of “villages” and “commons,” which emerged from the practical challenge of redesigning a building that was originally conceived as a commercial space. “When you have a floor plate that large, it’s inherently very deep, and parts of it don’t receive natural light,” Kaplan said. “In our test fit, we arranged classrooms around the perimeter, where there was glass, but the central area became a conundrum. What do we do with the ‘doughnut’ in the middle?” The solution came in the form of the Commons: central spaces designed to foster community, learning and interaction among students. The concept was shaped not only by the building’s physical constraints but also by the need to accommodate CQA’s diverse population. As CQA serves one of the most culturally diverse zip codes in the United States, with more than 30 languages spoken by the students alone, the Commons became a natural fit to bring these groups together in a shared space. The design also accommodates the school’s practice of allowing young scholars to step outside of their traditional classroom settings to learn in small groups. According to Kapadia, this method has led to a decrease in scholars falling behind academically. “We are able to do real science experiments in laboratory settings and offer four years of middle school STEM instruction, leading to higher scholar performance in math and science by the time they finish 8th grade,” Kapadia said. “For example, 24% of our 8th graders got into a specialized or selective high school in the spring of 2025 and over 75% of our eighth graders passed two high school Regents exams this year.” However, the idea of the Commons is also rooted in the historic notions of shared public spaces. “The Commons was once a shared agricultural space, and we thought about how this idea could translate to an urban school,” Kaplan added. “It’s a place for students to come together, learn and engage in ways that are different from the traditional classroom.”
The podium offers an impressive 83,000 square feet of space, enough to accommodate 50 classrooms and up to 900 students.
Engaging Interiors To celebrate the coming together of various populations, the GLUCK+ team developed the Entrance Commons, a greeting area located just before the main circulation space on the first floor. Further on and at the heart of the floor
After evaluating nearly 100 different properties, the team selected a portion of an existing mixed-use structure, with the school occupying three expansive podium levels.
www.schoolconstructionnews.com | july - august 2025 | 11