Jonathan E. Reed School

Waterbury, Connecticut

Firm

Svigals + Partners

Client

City of Waterbury

Area

79,800 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$24,000,000

Completion Date

08/2012

The 550-student, 79,800-square-foot Jonathan E. Reed School successfully links curriculum and community. The architect discerned what is important about the local heritage, incorporating it deeply into the architecture and creating a centerpiece for the surrounding community. The firm remediated a brownfield site that effectively separated several neighborhoods, knitting them together and creating a pedestrian-friendly environment to encourage walking among students and locals.

The school has an intrinsic ability to teach, helping students recognize that they are part of something larger than themselves. Integrated artwork provides engaging reminders of Waterbury’s heritage, especially the Naugatuck River and the local history of clock-making.

Polished concrete floors bearing abstract bows and arcs suggest flowing water. Curves in the walls and ceilings reinforce the “cycles of time” theme introduced by sculpted pieces in the facade. Covered with imagery, the school yields an environment of creative discovery. Furniture groupings transform halls and lobbies into informal collaboration spaces. The “cycles of time” theme reminds students, staff and visitors that they are both participating in these cycles and affected by them.