The Bridge School Expansion

Bridge School’s mission is to provide an active learning environment that helps children with speech and physical impairments advance their educational careers and achieve full participation in their communities. WRNS Studio worked with Bridge School to incorporate these principals into an expansion and modernization of their facilities. A new covered deck creates a protected, light-filled outdoor classroom and provides a sense of connection with students at the neighboring public school; an upgraded technology room allows for observation and documentation of teaching methods for information-sharing with other like schools; and two new modular buildings provide much-needed space. The interior spaces are finished with modular linoleum tile, CRI green label plus modular carpet tile, low VOC paint, and GREENGUARD certified furnishings. The covered exterior deck and railing, made from ipe wood, is mold, rot, decay, insect, and fire resistant, and it contains no toxic chemicals. The canopy, covered with a modular polycarbonate sheet, increases natural light and improves ventilation within the existing buildings while protecting students and teachers from the elements.

The Bridge School shares a tree lined campus with an elementary school and significant social and educational interaction exists between the two schools. The new patio incorporates the Bridge School’s principles of community interaction and integration by opening the learning environment to both the adjacent school and the outside world. The patio railing, which serves as the primary barrier between the schools, protects students from the different ground planes while maintaining a physical and visual connection. The patio also increases the amount of natural light to the new interior spaces and connects the new construction with the existing modular buildings. Published in “Power of Pro Bono: 40 Stories about Design for the Public Good by Architects and Their Clients.”