KSS Architects: News

March 26, 2010

Adding Education into the Mix: KSS in SCN magazine

Revitalizing urban communities has become a priority in recent years and deservedly so. Growth in many metropolitan cities is outpacing that in suburban areas, and younger families and generations are interested in living in dense urban cities. As a result, much attention has been given to revitalizing our urban schools along with the local neighborhoods around them.

Education can be integral to the success of mixed-use developments for a number of reasons. Students have a variety of learning opportunities and interactions outside the classroom; for example, field trips to cultural and art centers. Teachers, and particularly nascent teachers, benefit by having a community with whom they can share experiences, which can reduce attrition. Communities benefit from the influx of a regular and vested pedestrian traffic.

In the Jan./Feb. 2010 issue of School Construction News, KSS principal Merilee Meacock, AIA, LEED AP, discusses the relationship of schools and urban development. Our projects for Eden Autism Services, NJCU University Charter High School, and TEAM Schools, a network of KIPP Schools, exemplify how communities flourish when education becomes a part of the mix.

March 15, 2010

Engaged planning at regional SCUP conference

From Mar. 14 to Mar. 16, KSS partners Pamela Rew, AIA, and David Zaiser, AIA, are joining more than 200 higher education officials, planners and designers at the annual Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) Mid-Atlantic regional conference at Johns Hopkins University.

The conference kicked off Sunday evening with an opening plenary by American University president, Dr. Cornelius Kerwin, on the importance of the educational leaders complying with the President's Climate Commitment.

This year's conference, with the theme of "Engaged Planning: Discover, Discuss, Decide," includes presentations on the topics of rejuvenating campus buildings, long-term master planning, and campus sustainability.

Student engagement at Warch Campus Center, Lawrence University

March 5, 2010

North Star Academy celebrates groundbreaking

Uncommon Schools and North Star Academy celebrated the groundbreaking for the new North Star Academy High School on Feb. 19. The event was well attended by members of Uncommon Schools, Civic Builders, board members, students, and representatives from the City of Newark. Stefan Pryor, Newark's Deputy Mayor for Economic Development, attended the event and spoke enthusiastically about the future charter school opening.

KSS Architects designed the 60,000 square feet facility on Central Avenue in Newark, N.J. The school has been designed to accommodate 600 students in grades 9-12. The design addresses many complexities in planning and code requirements due in part to the area's dense zoning and proximity to historical landmarks. Materials include red brick masonry and large, Chicago-style windows that complement the area's historic context. The project team expects the school will be completed in time for the start of the 2011-12 academic year.

March 2, 2010

See you in New York! KSS at ACUI

From Feb. 28-Mar.3, KSS Architects will be joining hundreds of college and university leaders and consultants at the 90th annual Association of College Unions International (ACUI) conference in New York City. The theme of this year's conference is "Explore the Core: New Ideas, New Solutions." Throughout nine blocks of educational sessions over three days, experts from across the nation will present on topics focused on college union planning, program development, education and design.

KSS will be present throughout the conference. At the Architecture & Design Showcase, we are exhibiting three campus centers: Scandling Campus Center at Hobart and William Smith Colleges; the LEED Gold certified Warch Campus Center at Lawrence University; and a new campus center at Stockton College that is pursuing LEED Gold certification.

We'll also be on hand to answer your questions at the ACUI Expo in Booth 606 as well as on the "Ask the Architect" session on Mar. 2. Keep an eye out for Pam Rew, Michael Shatken, Allan Kehrt and Adrienne McKinney. We hope to see you in New York.

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