Project Description
Intermediate School 230Q Annex is a four-story school constructed by the NYC School Construction Authority in the historic district of Jackson Heights in Queens. As one of the earliest neighborhoods to use innovative designs in response to the chronic scarcity of urban housing, Jackson Heights is steeped in the architectural tradition of balancing conflicting needs for efficiency and light-filled open spaces. The school layout continues this tradition by utilizing an efficient U-shaped circulation core to serve peripheral spaces. That, along with a deep setback, ensures that daylight floods the building from all sides. Exposed structural braces enhance the sense of openness within.
The annex will relieve crowding at the existing middle school by accommodating 423 students grade 6 to 8, on a 10,000-square-foot lot with classrooms, specialized instructional spaces for science, art and music, a library, a student dining room and administrative offices.
Approved by the New York State Preservation Office, the design incorporates brick patterns and textures, as well as cast stone elements, as a contemporary adaptation of the architectural details found throughout the neighborhood. The I.S. 230Q Annex also conforms to the requirements of the NYC School Construction Authority’s Green Schools Guide for design, construction and operation.