contact

 Perth Amboy High School  Competition

As a dramatic introduction to the city, Perth Amboy High School provides a growing vibrant community with an icon for education. Stretching over 800 feet, this new structure provides a dynamic environment for learning. The size and scale of the Perth Amboy High School is inspired by the rich industrial and maritime architecture of the area (for example its ship-like length and saw-tooth skylights). This "factory for learning" will serve as a gateway to the community.The new Perth Amboy High School is a vessel for knowledge -- a ship that has landed.

A centrally located, 800-foot-long "Main Street" serves as a gathering space for students and the community- providing an ideal place for social interaction. Like a "Mall for Learning" the interior street is a destination where students will want to go -- and want to stay. A great sky-lit space that captures the passage of time provides a place to pause, to talk, to interact and to learn. The Academies are located on one side of Main Street and the shared facilities on the other. On the North side, a five-story bar includes the five Academies, the School within a School, the Administration and the other shared spaces. The major shared facilities -- the Auditorium, Cafeteria, Media Center, Gyms and Fitness Center -- located on the south side are distinct volumes separated by open space.The Academies are "building blocks" interlocked in one great volume (rather than segregated) --indicating shared uses and the overlap of curriculum. This encourages interaction among the students of the different academies and offers exposure to studies beyond their specialization. Comprising the north band, the "School within a School" is one of the core components of the "interlocked" side. The Academies are stepped in and out of the band to differentiate themselves from each other and the voids between them become outdoor spaces on the upper floors. They are connected by a series of wide stairways (as well as ADA complaint elevators and fire stairs). Circulation within the Academies returns to the forty-foot wide "Main Street," continually activating the space.

As a reflection of the community's commitment to caring for the environment, various passive and active systems and technologies, that are affordable and maintainable, make this high school a model "green" building. Specifically, the School is designed to minimize the exterior envelope and maximize the open space for recreation (basketball courts, soccer fields, a community green). Over the central street, a North/South-oriented, saw-tooth operable roof will allow for passive heating/cooling and provide indirect light to interior spaces. Southern-facing PV cells will provide additional power for the building systems. Planted rooftop areas will minimize heat gain. With the challenge of preparing our children for the future, the Perth Amboy High School provides the necessary building blocks for academic and creative excellence within an inclusive community-based and sustainable, built environment.