MaST Community Charter School II

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Firm

EwingCole

Client

MaST Community Charter School

Area

59,000 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$15,000,000

Completion Date

08/2019

Halkin/Mason Photography, LLC

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The MaST Community Charter School II at Tacony is a new K-12 educational complex on 19 acres of reclaimed industrial land along the Delaware River in Philadelphia. Serving a student body of 600 from throughout the city, MaST II (Math, Science, & Technology) is the second campus of the community charter school organization known for its innovative programs in design and robotics. The design concept celebrates the school’s commitment to technology and hands-on learning with bold exterior architecture and dynamic, flexible interior learning environments.

The site planning and building architecture respond to several prompts. The Tacony Bridge, Delaware River, and even the history of the site (the former Dodge Steel and Tacony Ironworks, where City Hall’s William Penn statue was cast), provided design inspiration and place-making. Two distinct building masses accommodate phasing limitations and offer program separation between lower and upper schools. A void cut through both phases, linked with an elevated bridge, provides pedestrian circulation, multistory atria with media and maker spaces, and scenic views of the Tacony Bridge.