Architects Discuss Plans for Scarsdale Schools

On April 8, 2014, Russell Davidson, President of KG&D Architects, presented a progress report for district-wide improvements and renovations, reviewing proposed projects that would be funded by a bond, if the referendum is approved by the community later in 2014.

Assistant Schools Superintendent Linda Purvis opened the presentation reiterating why KG&D is the architect of choice for Scarsdale Schools. "They take a disciplined and collaborative approach to design," she said. "Their model is 'listen, imagine, build' and right now we are in the listening and imagining phase."

Russell Davidson began by cautioning the audience that "...lots of things are still developing and can change." He highlighted some recent projects KG&D completed including the rebuilt Post Road Elementary, the Roslyn High School cafeteria commons, several public school libraries, the Harvey School theatre and other theatre projects. "We aim for lighter, brighter, more contemporary spaces for children," he said.

Mr. Davidson continued by discussing the goals of the project in Scarsdale, including:

• Updating school facilities to accommodate 21st century learning.
• Providing adequate space for current and projected enrollment (for example, high school enrollment has increased almost 35% in recent years, the Edgewood library is outdated and small, etc.)
• Building flexible spaces to accommodate the continually evolving educational program.
• Addressing the project list (e.g. partial roof replacement at Quaker Ridge, work at Dean Field and district-wide technology upgrades among others.)

He then went into further specifics. Edgewood, for example, has infrastructure issues, including the front door of the school that does not function as the main entrance and the school's library that leaks and floods. At Heathcote, where there is not enough space in the multi-purpose lunchroom "the current proposed plan is to raise the roof and expand the building into the courtyard, and add a covered canopy," said Mr. Davidson. The Middle School lacks a dedicated instrumental music space leaving the auditorium as the go-to area for band and orchestra rehearsals -- which ties up the auditorium and prevents it from being used for large group activities. KG&D's proposal adds another instrumental music space. "And look," Mr. Davidson pointed out, "there is no way to get from the auditorium to the gym, so we would seek to connect them with a corridor and build a room off of it to be used as a multi-purpose space." Discussing building security, he added, "Securing the perimeter of the school would enhance the overall security of the school. He said that although the high school is well maintained, the facility is not light, bright or cutting-edge.

At the high school, architects are proposing to move a much-discussed comprehensive fitness center for cardio and strength training in order to make way for a 21st century learning commons that addresses the inadequate space of both the cafeteria and the library. Along with using half the old gym, which is now being used as a freshman cafeteria, this space could be re-purposed to create a multi-level learning commons and ancillary cafeteria with a new kitchen/serving area. The space would be flexible, bright and dynamic and include a passageway to the high school library, linking it to the rest of the school. The current fitness center is in disrepair, too small (3,000 square feet), and has outdated equipment. Mr. Davidson said, 'while several options are under review, our recommendation is that we could move it to below the gym and would allow the fitness center to be enlarged to between 4,500 and 6,000 square feet," It would be able to accommodate 2 fitness classes at a time.

Architects are also proposing to build a new maker space, labs and collaborative learning areas in the site of the former auto shop.

Also under consideration is renovation of the Little Theatre at the high school where structured seating would be replaced with movable and collapsible seating instead. This would allow the stage to be reoriented and also permit the seating to be pushed to the sides when a large floor area is required. "State of the art lighting and sound systems would be added to make the room more conducive to multi-purpose learning," he added.

Lastly, a study of Dean Field has been undertaken in consultation with a sports architect. The baseball field needs to be reconfigured and the plan is to push it out and move home plate. Fields at Fox Meadow School are also being studied to facilitate a reconfiguration.

The audience had quite a few questions for Russell Davidson. Mary Beth Evans said, "My understanding of 'transitioning to 21st century learning' is that it's about the technology but also the arts. I see private schools prioritizing the arts more than public schools. What's your assessment of this, especially at the high school level?" Mr. Davidson said, "What I see in the maker space labs is art, design, and creative thinking. I see these as art studios. They are spaces for creative thinking and making. I think Scarsdale's emphasis on the arts is actually very impressive. A true little theater would help a lot and is being proposed for renovation. Every innovation lab or learning commons can be used as an informal performance space."

Another audience member asked, "In your assessment, were there electrical issues and technology issues?" Mr. Davidson responded yes, and estimated that $1million would need to be invested to upgrade the district's technology infrastructure.

One concerned parent asked, "What would the impact be of no longer having the gyms available? Also, how accommodating would the new fitness space be?" Kenneth Bonamo, Principal of the High School responded to this question, saying that certain sports like gymnastics, fencing, and golf would need to be eliminated as classes due to space issues. "Certain sports will not be able to be relocated to a multi-purpose room," he said, "and this may mean that practices have to be staggered. The benefit of a learning commons for all justifies the transition of space that is only used by the athletes," he argued. He also emphasized that the new fitness center and multi-purpose room should allow for most physical education programs to continue.

Another person asked if the presence of the maker space would require changes to staffing or the curriculum. Bonamo answered that they have envisioned three uses for the maker space:

• To enhance courses that are currently taught
• To develop new courses such as robotics or engineering
• For independent use by individual students who want to undertake their own projects.

"And what about Greenacres School," another parent asked. Davidson said that Greenacres is a sprawling building that fills every corner of the site. He said that it is not well designed. The district has asked KG&D to do a study of the building to decide whether it would be best to renovate or build a new school. This is beyond the scope of the current project.

Another parent asked, "In terms of construction scheduling, when would the learning commons be available? The driving force for this is that the 9th grade class is so large." Mr. Davidson responded that the best possible scenario is that the vote would happen this fall, the budget would pass, and construction would start in December 2015 (a year from when the bond proposal is approved). Construction would go on for a minimum of one year, so new spaces would not be in use before the winter of 2016 or spring of 2017. He explained, "Architecture happens in elephant time... and elephants are pregnant for 18 months!" But he added, "students love construction!"