K330 Primary School (Pre-K-K)

Client: NYC SCA
Location: Brooklyn, NY

Initially envisioned as an annex to PS1K primary school in the Sunset Park neighborhood in Brooklyn, K330 will be a new Pre-K and Kindergarten standalone school designed by the joint venture between MMA and Michael Graves Associates (Graves-MMA).

This project was the first SCA project required to comply with new high-performance energy criteria legislation and a new version of the Green Schools Guide, which is an accredited LEED-equivalent program.  The recently enacted NYC Local Law 31/16 mandated very strict high-performance energy criteria that was not obtainable utilizing the SCA’s current construction standards.  Graves-MMA worked with the SCA to pursue the use of a fiber cement rainscreen system with 10” of insulation at the exterior walls and 8” of insulation at the roof, in addition to innovative construction detailing to achieve maximum energy performance over twice as efficient as their standard construction practices.  A solar PV system was designed to generate electricity on site, using all viable open roof space.

Compliance with the 2019 Green Schools Guide required the project team to pursue fully integrated design through regular coordination efforts across all disciplines.  By having the full project team and the SCA in the conversation early and often, additional efficient and creative solutions were developed to further reduce energy consumption.  Graves-MMA led the project team and assisted the client in navigating the new Local Law 31/16 and Green Schools Program, yielding a more efficient building at the same cost.