Brooklyn Independent Charter School

Brooklyn Independent seeks to integrate students across racial and socioeconomic lines by using a sliding-scale tuition model for middle school grades 5-8. A strong school community is at the core of their mission and identity. We have undertaken several test-fit scenarios as they decide on a location. In addition, we have focused on two primary spaces: the community room and a prototype classroom.

Our design for the community room responds to the school's integrative mission by creating a large space in which the whole school can gather throughout the day for lunch, recess, music, assemblies, performances, and presentations. A flexible raised seating element houses lockers and bookshelves below, so students begin and end their days in the space as well.

For the classroom, our design supports the school's philosophy of project-based, interactive, and engaged learning. The teachers move through the classroom, eliminating the need for a traditional desk at the front, which is replaced by a storage area and counter in a back corner. The students' desks can be rearranged in a variety of ways supportive of dynamic group learning.