Now you see it
Transparent Conn. school was designed in New York
By BRYAN F. YURCAN

In addition to learning in classrooms, students at Stamford’s Academy of Information Technology & Engineering learn by simply walking through their building.

The Connecticut magnet school, part of the Stamford School District, opened the doors to its brand-new $42 million facility to students in September. The building was designed by the architectural firm Fuller and D’Angelo P.C. of Elmsford.

The school, which has been in existence since 2000, previously shared space with a middle school. It was designed so students can see the functional workings of aspects of the building, complementing the science and technology education they are receiving, said Joseph Fuller Jr., the architecture firm’s executive vice president.

“We designed the building to ensure it works to convey the programs and philosophies of the educators,” he said. “Through architecture, we tried to enhance the educational process.”

Many parts of the interior building were left exposed so the students could view them and learn how they worked, Fuller said.

These include the exposed back part of the elevator shaft of the three-story building and the central computer server area, which can be viewed in its entirety from the main lobby.

The building also features several energy-saving designs, including a thermal-storage system that harvests and stores energy during the low-demand evening hours and releases it for daytime use. This saves the city and school energy costs and reduces the load on the Stamford grid during daytime peak hours, Fuller said.

Among the other technological perks for the 450 students at the school is a wireless zoning system, so they can use their school-issued laptops anywhere in the school.

The building took just under two years to complete, Fuller said.

“There’s a deep sense of design that we’ve tried to portray in many parts of the building,” he said. “Part of the design philosophy is that there are areas that will be more difficult for students to ascertain how it was completed.”

Another aspect of the 120,000-square-foot school is its versatility, said John D’Angelo, executive vice president of the architectural firm.

 

That means most of the school’s rooms and spaces have multiple functions.

For example, the school has one printer room where all papers are printed, which is more efficient than having several printers in different rooms, he said. This room also doubles as a storage space for the students’ laptops where they can be placed in a drawer and have the batteries recharged to be picked up after lunch.

“It’s important in education to use spaces for as many different uses as you can,” said D’Angelo.

The building, whose cost was funded by the state of Connecticut, contains 40 classrooms, five science labs, five computer labs, a media center, an exercise room, gymnasium, dance studio, amphitheater and 350-seat cafeteria.

According to the district, the school was the first of its kind in the state when it opened seven years ago for students interested in technology.

Although part of the Stamford public school system, the Academy of Information Technology & Engineering is open to students from many parts of Fairfield County, including Greenwich, Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk and Ridgefield. Admission is based on applications and a lottery system.

Fuller said one reason the building turned out to be a success is because the designers, planners, construction team, school district and the city all shared a vision of what the school should be.

“Everyone involved enjoyed building this building,” he said. “When that happens, you get great results.”

The Westchester County firm has built other high-tech facilities in Connecticut schools.

 

Fuller and D’Angelo also built a 235,000-square-foot addition to the Staples High School in Westport, Conn. Among the features of that renovation were making the entire school a wireless environment and adding energy-saving design components to the building.

 

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