New Mount Vernon Elementary School

Irvington, New Jersey

Firm

STV Architects

Client

New Jersey Schools Construction Corporation

Area

93,357 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$22,269,200

Completion Date

09/2006

As part of a program to expand the school system to accommodate a growing student enrollment, the architect provided design services for a new elementary school in Irvington, N.J.
The school will serve 600 students and contain program spaces for community-oriented public functions. The dual purpose of the school is expressed in the design. Most of the classrooms are in a three-story wing on the western side of the school. The multipurpose areas, including a combination auditorium-cafeteria seating 340 people and a 6,000-square-foot gymnasium, are in a two-story eastern wing.
To bring cohesion to this two-wing structure, the design provides for a central corridor, which also will serve as the focal point of the building’s long central circulation hallway. With high-traffic areas on either side of it, the central corridor will create a lively public space in the middle of the school.
To meet LEED requirements, the firm used low-maintenance and locally manufactured materials, and included green outdoor areas with new plantings.