i+s: A lot of K–12 design discussions center on blank sites. But in dense urban environments, K–12 work often involves additions and renovations rather than new construction. How does that change the architect’s role?

Albert Aronov: Our school work is in New York City, so the truth is, it’s very rare to have a vacant site for a new building [here]. School addition projects are fundamentally very different from new buildings on a vacant lot. Before we design any new addition, we need to understand how an existing school building functions, how each space is being used, how circulation works, how arrivals and dismissals are organized, and the structure of existing building mechanical/electrical systems.

The goal is to integrate an addition seamlessly. Equally important are the phasing and logistics of this addition being added to the school; all schools remain fully operational when we build a new addition. So we can’t just design isolated buildings. It’s important for them to be part of the neighborhood. Making sure the design benefits both the school and surrounding area is really important.

Nelya Sachakova: Exactly—in short, our role becomes not just the designers, but we are the urban planners, historians, community liaisons, and have to become legal experts too, when we look at new school additions.

i+s: RKTB has some great examples of this in its portfolio. Let’s talk about PS 116 in particular. How did the addition there help reimagine the way the school functions while working within the confines of the existing site?

Sachakova: The most obvious architectural move that we made was to provide an entrance on grade. The existing building—actually, the whole first floor—was above grade, so the entryway had a large set of stairs and there was no lobby.

When we made the new entire first floor on grade, we provided a large lobby. So we’re providing a new central gateway to the school. That’s important because the spaces function as not just security checkpoints, but as reception areas and a general buffer between the outside world and the school building. And now it’s accessible. The entrances of public buildings are important; they encapsulate the identity of the building. The entire experience of the person or the people entering the building changes.

i+s: Public schools have to be efficient and cost-conscious, but they also need to be inspiring. How do you balance those priorities?

Aronov: In New York City, all project sites are so very tight, architects really have no choice but design the most efficient plans! The result is simple, intuitive circulation and clear organization of the program and strong visual connections. In other words, all our work is about efficiency—doing more with less space.

Sachakova: And efficient and inspiring are not mutually exclusive. When we’re in the initial planning stages, we do a lot of research on the site and the community to see how we can relate back to the community and celebrate the building’s civic identity or the identity of the students as a way to bring in that inspirational element.

There was one school we designed in the Bronx, PS 19, in the neighborhood of Woodlawn. Woodlawn Cemetery is a national historic landmark. We ended up gathering some quotes from famous Woodlawn residents and baked them into the tile that adorned the hallways in the schools. It’s a good example of how you can use graphics and storytelling elements to serve as inspiration and community pride in these buildings.

i+s: On a related note, sustainability can sometimes be an area of concern, one that we’ve heard is sometimes associated with greater cost. Which aspects of sustainable school design do you consider non-negotiable?

Sachakova: Since our kids really spend 8 hours or more of their day inside a school building, the indoor environmental quality is non-negotiable, specifically indoor air quality. The way we try to mitigate that is providing not just operable windows, but filtered fresh air and specifying materials that are low in harmful chemicals that tend to off-gas long after they’ve been installed. So natural daylight and views, spaces for students to play outside, improved acoustical performance—especially because our schools are in large, dense urban areas.

We follow something called the Green School Vibe, which the SCA [School Construction Authority] has established in partnership with the Mayor’s office. It’s a twin system similar to LEED, so it provides us a toolkit for how to address all these issues.