THE BREARLEY SCHOOL

LOCATION New York City, New York ARCHITECT KPMB Architects PHOTOS Nic Lehoux

How can design create a platform for asserting the intellectual and physical presence of the girl in our society—and her potential to transform the world?

Brearley’s mission combines outstanding academics with a higher purpose to nurture the intellect and character of young girls, preparing them to be leaders and innovators of social transformation. The design of its first new building in over a century began in 2014, and was welltimed with the rise of young women’s voices: that same year, Malala Yousafzai received the Nobel Peace Prize and Emma Watson addressed the United Nations on gender equality.

The original 1929 School building stands on the bank of the Hudson River in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The 12-story masonry fabric building blends in with the residential neighbourhood, but its program is invisible to the street. By 2014, the facilities were outdated, space was at capacity, and there was no room for expansion. The strategy was to expand by adding a new, free-standing building just one block west. The design creates a ‘gateway’ into the expanded Brearley campus and is extroverted compared to the original school. The masonry façade features bold geometry, and the transparent two-storey street base improves safety and street animation in the neighbourhood.

The design objective was to unlock the power and potential of the Brearley program and community with a flexible, interconnected, light-filled, multi-purpose learning landscape. The plan organizes the program in ascending order from community, to teaching, to exercise and play. A cafeteria, library, and a 600-seat auditorium are located on the lower levels. Spiral stairs interconnect classrooms, art and science labs, and makerspaces in the middle levels. Upper levels feature a gymnasium and culminate with a rooftop playground.

The eco-friendly, LEED Gold-compliant building is meant to act itself as a teacher. Students participate in the sustainable design features: they plant and maintain the green roof as part of the science curriculum, monitor rainwater collection, and activate natural ventilation to reduce mechanical system use by up to 800 hours per year. The design inspired the school to advance the adaptive reuse of its original building, with the goal of creating a net-zero campus by 2050.

Brearley was one of the few private schools in New York City to remain open and functional during the pandemic. 800 people attended daily and stayed healthy. The well-proportioned classrooms, fresh air, efficient filtration systems, operable windows, wide hallways, and interconnecting stairs facilitated COVID-19 protocols.

Kinesthetic learning—using paper and pencils, and reading books instead of watching screens—is at the core of Brearley’s pedagogy. When the virtual and the real are out of balance, this project reminds us that architecture must support human well-being with beautiful, tactile, light-filled, wellventilated spaces for gathering, learning, creativity, and collaboration.

The pandemic exposed significant inequities, and reinforced the need for the education and empowerment of women for a sustainable future. Every design element advances Brearley’s mission to cultivate confident, independent leaders.

:: Jury :: The implementation of a school in a dense urban environment presents significant challenges. The jury noted well distributed vertical functions without affecting the fluidity of movement while simultaneously creating collaborative spaces. The new tower is finely integrated into the urban fabric both by its massing and the composition of its facades, creating a gateway to the campus. This project is a bold urban redevelopment project that showcases student life activities on the street: a sign of hope for the future.

CLIENT THE BREARLEY SCHOOL | ARCHITECT TEAM MARIANNE MCKENNA, LUIGI LAROCCA, DAVID CONSTABLE, LUCY TIMBERS, DAVID SMYTHE, CAROLYN LEE, TALAL RAHMEH, ALISTAIR GRIERSON, THOM SETO, LUKAS BERGMARK, LILY HUANG, RAMIN YAMIN, JOSEPH KAN, PETER KITCHEN, RAFAELA AHSAN, JESSICA JUVET, ILANA ALTMAN, JORDAN EVANS | STRUCTURAL/ENVELOPE ENTUITIVE | MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL/PLUMBING THOMAS POLISE CONSULTING ENGINEERS | CODE CCI | AV/IT/SECURITY TM TECHNOLOGIES | ACOUSTICS LONGMAN LINDSEY | THEATRE ACOUSTICS SOUND SPACE VISION AND STAGES | LEED STEVEN WINTER ASSOCIATES | CLIMATE ENGINEERS TRANSSOLAR | SIGNAGE ENTRO | BUDGET $67.2 M | OCCUPANCY SEPTEMBER 2019 OPPOSITE, LEFT TO RIGHT The design evolves the masonry tradition of the original Brearley School with different sizes of windows and a playful geometry; the first two levels act as a community hub. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Transparency at the lower levels contributes to street animation; an outdoor playspace tops the building; view of the 600-seat flexible, multi-purpose auditorium; the vertical campus includes wide hallways and interconnecting stairs.