This 66,000-square-foot school of 435 students features the Piazza as the school’s main gathering area and centerpiece, which acts much like the outdoor old-world Piazzas of Italy. This space offers a large area for recitals, concerts, and art programs and is designed to bring the outdoors inside. Painted clouds on undulating ceiling panels, lit hanging clouds, and birds help create the indoor-outdoor theme throughout the school. The Piazza is the primary circulation space between the buildings’ academic and core common areas. Six pre-k and fifteen kindergarten through fifth-grade classrooms are grouped into three pods. One atelier, or shared space for small group project work, is located outside each three-classroom pod, allowing students from adjacent classrooms to collaborate on projects.
An innovative playground that includes an outdoor eating area, life-like trees, rock and climbing apparatus, and an outdoor classroom is meant to echo the indoor-outdoor theme of the project. The flexible gymnasium includes stations, a climbing wall, exercise machines, and multi-function badminton and basketball space. The full kitchen and cafeteria open to a small bistro-style area for smaller group discussions and interaction. Art studio with a kiln, media center, and music room available to the Piazza are also offered to the student body. This project has achieved a photovoltaic array and roof garden to reinforce the science curriculum and the State of CT’s High-Performance Building Standards (LEED Silver+).
The exterior of the building complements Italian-style architecture by using masonry and brick. The outdoor theme is reiterated in a custom sculptural dove that adorns the front façade of the building. All finishes are environmentally sensitive and adhere to sustainability standards.
2015 ASSOCIATED BUILDERS AND CONTRACTORS, INC.,
BUILD CONNECTICUT AWARD, AWARD OF MERIT OVER $10M
“This project was completed flawlessly – under budget, on schedule, and of the highest quality available in today’s market.”
Antonietta DiBenedetto
Project Manager
Capitol Region Education