Riverside School

The result of a public-private partnership, PS/IS 191-The Riverside School for Makers and Artists is the first new public school constructed on the Upper West Side in decades. Located in the base of a 43-story tower in the mixed-use Riverside Center development, this Pre-K through 8th grade facility serves 692 students with tailored facilities to support a STEAM educational program.

“You can’t help but feel excited for students who... have access to these world class facilities”
— Linda Rosenthal, New York State Assembly Member

The more than 20 classrooms are designed to suit individual grade levels and promote team-teaching and group learning by utilizing flexible spaces that provide positive places for youth development tailored to specific age groups. The art and music rooms, the science suite, library, gymnasium, and cafeteria are designed to be shared by all students. Two distinct outdoor play roof recreation spaces were created to serve different age students.

The school is sandwiched between a residential high-rise above and active Amtrak tracks below. The fit-out of the school was designed concurrently with the core and shell team for the residential floors, allowing long span spaces for the cafeteria, gym, and auditorium.

Active Design for all Students

Outdoor play roofs and a flexible indoor gymnasium and auditorium accommodate different age groups and promote recreation activities for early childhood and older students. Student circulation is internal to the facility, and outdoor spaces are accessed through the school’s common areas.

Central Organizing Element

A grand, skylit central stair is the central organizing element of the five-level school. The space is organized around an expansive, multistory atrium, capped with a large skylight, which serves as a primary gathering and circulation spine for the school. A demonstration of Active Design principles, the grand, daylit stair encourages activity.