The Maspeth Schools were designed as a true community facility that responds to the neighborhoods various needs and concerns. The main level of the school contains program elements which can be shared with the community. The Auditorium, Cafeteria and Gymnasium are all highly visible from the street. Outdoor spaces were consolidated to an interior courtyard to limit the acoustical impact on the surrounding residences. Serving both as a traditional school quad and as a community recreational space, the courtyard provides a walking track and integrated athletic facilities.

​

Though the program requires a facility that is larger than the nearby residential buildings, the choice of materials and the building’s massing respond directly to the adjacent housing. Program elements such as the library and the kitchen have been shifted in plane to break the scale of the building and soften its impact on the street.

​

The school’s entry is oriented on 74th Street towards Grand Ave, the main community thoroughfare. A large entry plaza provides milling space for students away from the residential neighborhood.