THE PHILADELPHIA SCHOOL PHILADELPHIA

Renovation oF a private elementary school in a former pie factoRY

The work includes new classrooms, common spaces, and offices, as well as upgrades to lavatories and handicap accessibility.  A palette of bright colors and warm woods offer a non-institutional aesthetic to this unique urban school, while reinforcing the identity of specific learning units within the loft-like space.  State-of-the-art classrooms include 16’ glass and aluminum bi-fold doors, to allow for team teaching in groups of 24, or division into smaller acoustically separated units.  Daylight is brought to interior spaces via glass entries, transoms, and clearstories, which also offer the perception of space expansion and connectivity.  In some areas, existing concrete and steel structure is exposed, along with ductwork, piping, and conduit, contributing to the industrial aesthetic.