JCJ Architecture Barack H. Obama Magnet University School
Context and Background
Originally located on Orchard Street in New Haven, the Strong School was opened in 1808 and has been relocated multiple times within in the City of New Haven. With a vision “to empower 21st Century learners by giving them the communication, academic, and social skills necessary to succeed in a technologically advancing world,” this PreK-4 lab school was relocated in 2019 to a new site on the campus of Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU). From this location, the School and the University have been able to deepen their collaboration and provide a dynamic project-based educational experience for students and valuable opportunities for students and faculty of SCSU’s School of Education. In June of 2018 the school was renamed the Barack H. Obama Magnet University School. New Haven operates the largest school construction program in Connecticut. Starting in 1995, the Citywide School Construction Program has addressed 41 school programs with additions, renovation, or new construction. New Haven public school buildings are designed to enhance the learning environment for students and staff and provide facilities that can be used year-round by the school and community. By 2016, these projects totaled $1.489 billion in building investment; overall nearly 4 million square feet of school building will be impacted by the program.
Design Response
The City of New Haven, Barack H. Obama School and Southern Connecticut State University collaborate on the delivery of education to a unique population of students. This 21st-century communication lab school utilizes a project-based approach in delivering of a global studies, language, and STEM curriculum while also supporting SCSU students in gaining pre-service teaching experience. To understand how the design would need to respond to the school’s unique program while maintaining NHPS’s outline specifications, the project began with a series of six collaborative workshops. Beginning with Visioning, where dialogue focused on goals, aspirations and desires, the team led members of the School-Based Building Advisory Committee, stakeholders from SCSU and members of the school community (administrators, teachers, students and parents) through a series of engagements that brought the groups to consensus around a singular scheme that incorporated the intangible and functional characteristics described in the discovery process. Intangible Concepts:
- Collaborative
- Creative
- Cariñosa (Loving and Caring)
- Welcoming
- Warmth
- Fun
- Inspiring
- Diverse
Key Functional Concepts:
- Capture the light – bring daylight indoors
- Embrace the forest – preserve 200+ year-old trees on the rear of the site; create indoor/outdoor connections
- Respect the neighborhood – facility must consider multifamily housing that borders to the west
- Engage West Rock – create opportunities for views to this local landmark
- Link to Southern Connecticut State University – engage and respect campus context; provide experiences and spaces that support needs of SCSU students and faculty