GLUCK+

Students on entrance stairs of grey paneled building with windows highlighted by yellow and orange panels.
Courtyard filled with students and teachers playing on turf bordered by the grey, yellow and orange building exterior.
View down sidewalk to entrance of building framed by green vegetation and trees.
Students sitting and walking under exterior corridor canopy composed of wood strips and metal structure.
Students greeting eachother in building entry alongside a blue accent wall.
Students having a discussion in a brightly lit room with grey floor and yellow wall board.
Individual building module with windows and grey panel exterior pulled through intersection at Sandford Ave.

Lady Liberty Academy Charter School

Built in nine months?

Newark, NJ

After years of moving from one location to the next, Lady Liberty Academy needed a permanent home or risked losing their charter. Alongside a limited budget, another significant challenge arose: their new home had to be built in just nine months. Complete offsite construction of a 17,400-square-foot building and the renovation of a 50-year-old, 26,000-square-foot single-story building, reduced energy footprint and budget, making a complicated project a reality.

Institutional 43,400 sf Completed in 2014 Architect-Led Design Build

Stories

Round a courtyard

Creating many opportunities, solving many school-specific issues and giving the place its unique identity.
Round a courtyard
Individual building module with windows and grey panel exterior pulled through intersection at Sandford Ave.

Building as much offsite as possible

To deliver the project in time and on budget, we needed to rethink our entire design process.
Building as much offsite as possible

Press & Recognition

The Architect's NewspaperOctober 9, 2020

NYC Public Design Commission Explores Small-scale Prefabrication Potential in a Big-city Context

By Matt Hickman

Photographs

Students on entrance stairs of grey paneled building with windows highlighted by yellow and orange panels.
Stairs from sidewalk leading to entry under an awning with the grey façade accented by yellow and orange panels.
Students walking down sidewalk to front entrance of school framed by autumn foliage.
View down sidewalk to entrance of building framed by green vegetation and trees.
View down grey, yellow and orange façade of building towards entry stair and awning with tree canopy in background.
Courtyard filled with students and teachers playing on turf bordered by the grey, yellow and orange building exterior.
Students sitting and walking under exterior corridor canopy composed of wood strips and metal structure.
Students having a discussion in a brightly lit room with grey floor and yellow wall board.
Students walking up staircase enclosed by orange walls.
Students greeting eachother in building entry alongside a blue accent wall.
Students unlocking grey lockers in sun lit corrdior lined with windows accented by yellow and orange.
Individual building module with windows and grey panel exterior pulled through intersection at Sandford Ave.
Compliation of 4 images showing progress of assembling building modules on site by crane.

Drawings

Floor plan differentiating the renovated building and new construction built by modules and resulting courtyard.
Exploded axo showing building elements. Text reads: pre-cast concrete columns, pre-cast concrete footings, offi-site prefabricated building modules, cast-in place foundation slab, pre-cast concrete foundation walls, existing building, new courtyard.
Exploded axonometric of non-combustible construction module. Text reads: Onsite work - foundations. Cost $290/SF. Pros - 9' clear ceilings, steel consutrction allows for longer span and higher stiffness, pre-installed cladding and MEP in controlled factory environment. Cons - too expensive.
Axonometric of combustible consutrction module. Text reads: Onsite work - foundations, cladding MEP. Cost - $275/SF. Pros - lower manufacturing cost with wood construction. Cons - reduced ceiling height to 8'-6" due to wood spans, increased onsite construction cost.
Exploded axonometric of hybrid construction module. Text reads: Onsite work - foundations. Cost - $235/SF. Pros - Steel frame allows for 9'6" cielings and reduces number of modules, wood infill allows for lighter box weight, thus reducing crane size and installation price, pre-installed cladding and MEP in controlled factory environment.
Exploded axonometric of hybrid with precast foundation module. Text reads: Onsite work - none. Cost - $225/SF. Pros - Steel frame allows for 9'6" ceilings and reduces number of modules, wood infill allows for lighter box weight, thus reducing crane size and installation price, pre-installed cladding and MEP in controlled factory enviornment, precast foundation walls include steel studs and insulation, reducing site trade costs, precast foundation footings minimize concrete pour in difficult winter, optimizing offsite construction for building and foundations allows for 9 month compressed construction timeline.
Comparison of modular construction options including onsite work and cost.
Axonometric of conditions of the site including the existing school and gymnasium.
Axonometric highlighting the central courtyard created by the new building.
Axonometric highlighting circulation, using the central courtyard as the hub.
Axonometric highlighting the central courtyard and its function as protected play for the students.
Axonometric highlighting the building as an acoustic fence from the courtyard to the surrounding neighborhood.
Axonometric highlighting internal circulation along the interior face of the courtyard and its resulting views.
Axonometric highlighting the building as a visual barrier between the courtyard to neighborhood.
Axonometric highlighting the new building addition.
Axonometric highlighting the screened corridor connecting the gymnasium and courtyard, while shielding from the car court.
Axonometric highlighting the cafeteria's connection to the courtyard.
Axonometric highlighting the principal's office and executive director's office connection to the courtyard.
Type
Institutional
Size
43,400 sf
Year
2014
Scope
Ground Up
Role
Architect-Led Design Build
LocationLoc.
Suburban
 
746 Sandford Avenue, Newark, NJ 07106
Lady Liberty Academy Charter School
Lady Liberty Academy Charter School