An A+ in design in Stamford
The disdain for school has been turned on its head in Stamford where the Waterside School with a new location and creative architecture looks to be a badge of pride for future students.
The school”™s new location will be on Fairfield Avenue not far from the current Pacific Street site. The project is being considered as part of the Harbor side project from Stamford-developer Building and Land Technology.
The lead architect, Walter Patrick Smith of Walter Patrick Smith Architect in Stamford, is bringing a unique take to the new school. He works with projects that usually possess a mission and with artists who help to integrate their art into his architecture. Smith”™s work at the Waterside School is largely pro bono.
“Waterside school is a great project,” said Smith. “Basically they help underserved children in Connecticut have access to a private school type atmosphere education.”
Smith is a former member of the architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and has since become an independent architect. He also works as the director of Rip Ions, an artistic collective based in Florida, and Baker IE, an organization for sponsorship and collaboration of artists.
“Here is a place where you must educate but we”™re just trying to do it with some art and thought,” said Smith.
Smith said that by children seeing art in their schools they are encouraged to be creative and even brag about the interesting physical nature of their own school.
“We”™re also working with the team from BLT as our construction management,” said Smith. “They have the ability to help us really understand how to use our resources in a frugal way.”
Waterside is independent, with no city or state funding. Each student”™s family pays what they can afford and 94 percent of funds are raised privately.
The Waterside School was envisioned and founded in 2001 by Chip Kruger, a Stamford brokerage investor.
According to Dunkin Edwards, executive director of Waterside, the school educates grades K-5, accommodating 100 students from 29 countries with a median family income around $39,000. Edwards said that approximately 9 percent of students come from families above the average family income.
Jody Visage, principal of the school, said the project is an example of somebody”™s dream taking form in whole, something that in her experience is very rare.
“The new construction will allow the school”™s enrollment to expand to 200 children,” said Visage.
Building and Land Technology recently applied for the foundation permit to start building and was approved. There is a lawsuit appealing the approval that comes from WGM Corp., with the support of other businesses and property owners who neighbor the Harbor Point project. The suit alleges a flawed approval process. Though not being met with cheers from everyone, the project has already become notable for its plans for a frugal and creative use of property.
“The program calls for about 38,000 square feet of indoor space,” said Smith. “The site could just about fit the school, some outdoor playground area and parking space. We thought that if we were careful with our arrangement of the building, we might be able to start to create the same kind of opportunity that the building was supposed to be itself.
“On the roof we”™re going to have things like an edible classroom, where these kids are growing plants, fruits and vegetables,” said Smith. “They will be able to have art and sculpture spaces; we”™re going to be able to conduct science projects. There”™s one area of the roof that was designed to be green and help with the physical sciences part of the curriculum. The other part of the roof is a playing field.” Smith has added a fully functioning sports field to the roof.
Smith. Who has children, said he is very conscious of the continuous quest in Stamford to find additional play space. Smith will also be helping to have artwork placed throughout the school.
“All of the programs are so well contrived and well attended in the area so they”™re always looking for a little more space,” said Smith. “It”™s an amazing family that wants to give back in all the ways at our disposal.”
Edwards has hinted at the school”™s expansion into middle-school ages in future years.