2018 01 KSS Architects Firm Lookbook

KSS ARCHITECTSFIRM LOOKBOOK 2018



CONTENTS 5 IDEAS AND WORK 11 TRANSFORMATION 31 URBANIZATION 49 INNOVATION 71 ENGAGEMENT89 COMPLEXITY105 WELLNESS125 STEWARDSHIP145 WHO WE ARE



IDEAS AND WORK

IDEASThe ideas that INSPIREDESIGN are the same ideasthat DESIGN IMPACTS.At KSS, we believe that there are big ideasin the world. Ideas that we strive toward,ideas that we internalize and explore. Webelieve that the ideas that inspire designare the same ideas that design impacts. Forthe world today, we see the following as theideas that drive our process, and drive us.With each project, we navigate a processthat unearths, expounds upon, and embedsa sense of purpose—bringing a project to lifethrough the expression of meaningful ideas.TRANSFORMATION URBANIZATION INNOVATIONTransformation is a Urbanization is gravity, Innovation is thefundamental shift in humanized—people modern responseknowledge, identity, or moving towards a to entrepreneurialperspective. center. spirit—exploration that recognizes needs and constructively exceeds them.

ENGAGEMENT COMPLEXITY WELLNESS STEWARDSHIPEngagement is the Complexity offers Wellness is the Stewardship is theessential story of richness of experience— fulfillment of the expression of ourpositive change—people many diverse parts vast span of our needs, collective capacity tointeract, people take adding up to a whole from shelter replenish and care foraction, people enrich that transcends them all. to self-actualization. resources of all kinds—the world. with purpose, tenacity, and optimism. 7|

EXPERIENTIALCOMMUNITIESFrom home to work to school, our world is transforming into an innovative environmentwhere it is ever more vital to build what we value most. It’s beyond houses, beyond evenhomes—it’s experiential communities—places for life, work, learning, and more.LIFEPlaces for Feeling at home is about striking a balance between the individual and community—home is where the ritualThe power of the dynamic world we live in is of life happens, where a sense of placethe amount of engagement we experience on adaily basis. Experiences are memorable, personal, becomes a sense of belonging.sensational. The experience economy realizes thepower of engagement—people moving across &beyond communities. Building places to live thatharness the power of experience involves more thanproviding amenities—it’s crafting spaces and placeswhere people bring their dreams to collide—like a Design Element:co-working space for all aspects of life. COMMUNITYGreat places for life and living are environments SPACESwhere many diverse parts add up to a whole thattranscends them all. In designing places thatconnect, we offer families, entrepreneurs, students,and dreamers the magic of opportunity—placeswhere people self-organize into cohesivenetworks and craft emergent constellations Design Element:of growth and transformation. LIFESTYLE| 8 BRAND

Places for WORK How we work becomes the ultimate expression of how we live—To answer the question of WHERE and HOW we will interconnected and responsive to thework in the future, we must answer the question of wide spectrum of human needs.WHY we will work. As work aligns more and morewith purpose and workers become thinkers, doers, Design Element:and makers, the workplace is transformed into anexperience that brings ideas to life. In the past, we DAYLIGHTdesigned workplaces around processes—now, weare moving toward workplaces designed to fulfill thewide spectrum of human needs, providing us withchoice so we can embrace changes we experienceon timescales spanning minute-to-minute andyear-to-year.The future of work will hold a mirror up to ourindividual and collective identities, as we map ourexperiences on the world and blend life, work, andplay into an integrated lifestyle.How we work becomes the Design Element: Design Element:ultimate expression of howwe live—interconnected and BALANCING FOCUS CHOICEresponsive to the wide spectrum & COLLABORATIONof humanity—an extraordinaryenterprise where people cometogether to paint the world anew.Places for LEARNING Learners become leaders who are constantly reimagining society asThe future of education is embedded in student inclusive, cohesive networks of people,success—how students and life-long learners alike together navigating the wind, thenavigate discovery and transformation. We believe calm, and everything in between.that schools and learning centers are vital touchpoints in a learner’s experience—it is througheducation that we celebrate every entity’s inherentdignity and purpose and reshape our world andourselves to become that which we never beforethought possible.That the best way to nurture student success is to Design Element: Design Element:build a purpose-driven community. Communitiesare the connective tissue that enrich our collective NATURE IDENTITYlives, fuel the soul, and propel us forward. Designingspaces that enact purpose involves embracingsynergy, innovation, and opportunity to buildcommunity. 9|



TRANSFORMATION



HEADQUARTERS ASMARKETPLACECASE STUDY: BURLINGTONSTORES HEADQUARTERSWith fresh ideas and offerings, Burlington Storeswas growing and transforming itself in the off-price retail market. They were in need of a newcorporate headquarters that would create amodern and dynamic workplace and display theirbrand for the world to see. The executive teamat the new building would be supported by alarge workforce of merchant buyers—young anddynamic, they moved frequently and effortless-ly between locations in New York City and thecompany’s traditional home in Burlington, NewJersey. As such, they craved collaboration—a placeto intersect with vendors and a space where theycan interact with merchandise. The solution:to create a workplace that is a marketplace. 13 |

Option 1: Large Floor Plate FINDING THE RIGHT FLOOR PLATE Option 2: Campus Community Option 3: Integrated Approach Burlington Stores sought to build its new headquarters on a previously purchased site| 14 adjacent to its existing offices. They engaged a civil engineer to develop a plan to accommodate their full office needs on a three-story footprint. The result was a deep floor plate with its dominant facades oriented away from the street and facing East and West. Given this circumstance, an opportunity existed to explore the prototypical office building with the owner in order to better realize the corporate objectives. To find the right fit for the right floor plate on the site, a sequence of scenarios was developed: LARGE FLOOR PLATE: The given site diagram, this solution turns away from the street requiring an expression of identity associated with a minor façade. The East / West dominant facades would need to incorporate screening elements to protect from direct sun. Light wells would be required to introduce natural light. MODIFIED LARGE FLOOR PLATE: The depth of the floor plate has been reduced by introducing a fourth floor. The geometry has been modified to address the entrance drive, and hierarchy created. Yet the building still suffers from large and deep floors and less than optimal solar orientation. THE CAMPUS APPROACH: Understanding the desire for residual value, three “prototypical” developer office buildings are joined to form a corporate campus. While floor plates are more manageable and offer opportunities for better daylight, the workspace becomes disjointed and fails to bring the organization together. AN INTEGRATED APPROACH: Learning from the optimal depth of the prototype buildings and the opportunities for better integration offered by large plate solutions, a diagram is developed that extends a four-story bar of appropriate depth along the best solar orientation and toward the street. A second “building” is introduced that is lower in height and

carefully positioned. An extended, rather thancentralized atrium of public space is introduced tointerconnect the spaces.THE SIMPLIFIED DIAGRAM:The idea is simplified into a diagram of two officeplaces interconnected by a dynamic public space.That space, organized against an outdoor plazaand stretched against the whole building, providesfor corporate identity towards the street withprogram and spaces that interconnect a dynamicworkplace.Beginning with site orientation and floor platedesign, an extensive, in-depth exploration revealedthe most advantageous scenario: it is of two officeplaces interconnected by an energetic public space.That space, organized against an outdoor plaza andstretched against the whole building, provides forcorporate identity towards the street, and offersprogram elements and spaces that together createa dynamic workplace.A new face of corporate identity is achieved asthe bustling public space within the building opensonto the outdoor plaza in which it is nested. Theground floor of this building is where vendors andvisitors come to interact with the merchant teamand where that team can come together in a largeand vibrant way. Vendor rooms, where garmentsare displayed, bought, and sold, line the majorthoroughfares through the building along withlarge meeting rooms to accommodate town hallpresentations. The upstairs workplaces are lively—there are special delineations for workstationsto be left open, creating a more studio-likeatmosphere, encouraging and accommodatingcollaboration. Work groups are punctuated by



kiosks that contain spaces for racked clothing andwhere clothes and goods can be displayed anddiscussed.The atrium is stretched along the entire publicspace and is anchored by a café, coffee bar, andreception area, which flow together to form themarketplace. The marketplace is edged by a wallwith integrated LED displays where the latestproduct line can be projected. A large ribbon ofred hovers above this space and is visible to theoutside, capturing the Burlington brand.The vocabulary of this building is important inthe conveyance of marketplace and identity.Simple office volumes are stitched with a broadand sweeping atrium space. The skeletal spaceis held together with the vocabulary of an openair market, with an exposed structure of lightcolumns, king post trusses, and a graceful curtainwall suspended by columns. Yet performance asmuch as elegance is a criteria for the buildingsystems. Designed to meet a standard of at least 15percent better energy performance than permittedby code, the project incorporates high efficiencymechanical systems and lighting. In addition, theglazing systems take advantage of optimal solarorientation. The North façade’s atrium glazingremains clear allowing the interior structure and ared ribbon wall to read prominently to the exterior,while the glazing on other façades are highperformance, limiting heat gain and providing aneffective energy envelope.The iconic sweep of transparent glass showcasesthe activity within and the synergies throughoutBurlington’s new corporate headquarters.Featuring an open office layout, with a wide rangeof amenities and a variety of spaces, the buildingis designed to bring Burlington’s diverse workforcetogether. Employing informal meeting places andoutdoor lunch spaces, avenues to walk and talk,and alcoves to think and solve, the design of theheadquarters successfully interprets and translatesworkplace as marketplace. The collaborative,pensive, and productive site analysis process,followed by an imaginative yet practical designresulted in finding just the right fit for BurlingtonStores. 17 |



CREATING LASTINGVALUE THROUGHTRANSFORMATIVEDESIGNCASE STUDY: MATRIX CORPORATECAMPUS AT MONROETurning visions into the reality. Fiercelyreimagining what places can be. Transformingthat of little perceived value into something withlasting value. Ultimately, it takes more courage,conviction and know-how to work with that whichhas been left behind, rather than that which isserved on a blank slate.Matrix Development Group identified one suchopportunity: an abandoned corporate park alongthe New Jersey Turnpike, formerly the RhodiaPharmaceutical Campus. It was dog-eared from itsheyday in the 1970’s, but the existing infrastructureand utilities remained largely intact and usable,with allowances for moderate alterations and codecompliance. Well-traveled access roads to turnpikeInterchange 8A not only preexisted, but had beenwell-designed to handle the load of transportvehicles to and from the surrounding warehouseand distribution centers.By contrast, small, historic towns such as Cranbury,Jamesburg, and Monroe Township, abut thedevelopment, contributing to its neighborhoodfeel. Existing, viable site infrastructure, easy accessto major transportation, and great neighbors (largeand small), add up to three good things—location,location and location—and Matrix knows a goodlocation when they see one.The vision: Maintain the original footprint ofthe development while renewing the site’smaster plan to create a neighborhood feel in thecorporate park. This could only be accomplishedby transforming the large structures of the vastcampus into a strategic collection of buildings ofvarying scale and façade, and re-inventory thebuildings to better position them to attract a rangeof smaller and larger anchor clients. Walking trailsinterlace the buildings and create a central 19 |

park of protected open space to foster both basins. Photovoltaic arrays installed, and wellness and community interaction. One central daylighting maximized. Building envelopes have building is re-purposed as a public café, drawing become high performance, bathroom facilities both corporate and neighborhood diners. Traffic low-flow. HVAC and power delivery systems deliver flow within the campus has been re-examined efficiency. The bottom line? High expectations simplified, directional signage redesigned and road have been met by significantly reducing water and surfaces improved. energy demand. Overall, it is an overhaul—not with a sledgehammer, but with a precise sustainability The past: Honor the initial success of the and performance analysis to make just the right pharmaceutical campus and the impact it made upgrades in just the right places. at one time on the surrounding community. The architectural history of the site has not been Additionally, the property’s resiliency to natural pilfered, demolished or cast away. It lives on. hazards has been significantly increased. Each Maximum effort and sensible expenditure have rehabilitated building incorporates comprehensive been concentrated to transform the campus into sprinkler systems. Entirely new roof and exterior an entity that is more responsive to the current window wall assemblies contribute to each economic development of the community and to building’s high performance envelope, which once again ignite commerce in a complex that lie address waterproofing, thermal insulation and dormant for many years. sound dampening. Wind, rain, fire, and super storms named Sandy—the redevelopment of this corporate In keeping respect for the past, the mature campus has taken steps to plan for the worst, while vegetation of the site has remained undisturbed. continuing to push forward towards success. Buried infrastructure has remained, well, buried. And an interesting piece of history can be found An abandoned corporate campus, when viewed in the café—a preserved section of blast wall from with imagination, expertise and resourcefulness, the pharmaceutical laboratory that had previously presents opportunity to re-use existing worked with volatile chemicals. The dramatic infrastructure, conserve land and energies, create souvenir serves as a point of interest and an efficiencies in time and money, engage surrounding acknowledgment of the campus’s past. Reduce, communities, reenergize local economies, and reuse and recycle is reinterpreted as reimagine, ultimately, promote and practice the overriding reinvent, and reinvigorate. concept of good citizenship. With strategic vision, an abandoned corporate campus can be The impact: Integrated sustainability, preserved transformed into nimble, vibrant and productive indigenous, mature landscaping, and readdressed vehicle for commerce and creativity. For Matrix inherited building systems. Storm water has been Corporation, beyond “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” rehabilitated through detention and retention there exists “Reimagine, Reinvent, Reinvigorate.”| 20

BUILDING G – NEW CAMPUS CAFEBUILDING H – BRACCO DIAGNOSTICS

WHYY PUBLIC MEDIA DORRANCE H. HAMILTON PUBLIC MEDIA COMMONS The Hamilton Public Media Commons at WHYY programmable LED lighting that create colorful, presents exciting opportunities to educate dynamic displays reflective of ongoing activity communities about digital media while enlivening a inside—the first installation of this kind in the major streetscape in Center City Philadelphia. The U.S. Cast stone finishes lead visitors inside to the 7th Street corridor, utilitarian in form, previously “Portal,” an open reception space and video gallery comprised parking lots and the backs of buildings. showcasing student work. A window on 7th Street A solid and enclosed space, though fitting for the allows the public to view the programming inside studio program, would have been counterproductive The Lincoln Financial Digital Education Studio for to the project’s mission of outreach. large-scale student productions. Through innovation and technology, KSS Architects The Public Media Commons has become a popular designed a learning lab that addresses the project’s destination on the existing Technology Center’s multifaceted goals. Outside, the building skin is “Main Street,” an open public space that leads to composed of translucent white panels featuring major functions. Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Size: 7,500 sf new construction; 4,000 sf renovation Features: Digital production studio, Community center, Multipurpose space, Classrooms, Mural in partnership with the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program Recognition: American Institute of Architects New Jersey, Design Merit Award, 2010. First Place, 3form Best Installation Contest, 2010.| 22



SPARKS SOHO OFFICE IMPROVEMENTS When Sparks, an innovative brand agency, wanted for events. A bar area doubles as an activity hub to renovate their SoHo offices to express their and primes the space for everything from launch cutting-edge, funky vibe, KSS delivered. Designed parties to think tank roundtables. to promote Sparks’s youthful work environment while also serving as a flexible event space, The atmosphere embodies SoHo’s craftsman, the new offices feature elegant standing desk boutique culture. Modern furnishings complement configurations and an open floor plan. In modest the original brick and milled woodwork, playing square footage, the new offices provide an array to the space’s 5th floor loft feel. Skylights and of programming, from brainstorming areas to glazing at each end of the slender workspace fill it entertaining space. KSS lifted the floor to create an with natural light. Overall, the space’s stylish yet elevated conference area that doubles as a stage authentic ambiance fully expresses Sparks’s brand. Location: New York, NY Program: Corporate office Size: 3,700 sf Features: Offices, Standing desk configuration, Bar/kitchen area, Conference room/stage| 24



NEW JERSEY CITY UNIVERSITY WEST CAMPUS MASTER PLAN The site was anything but the obvious choice for campus and become lined with landscapes and NJCU’s new West Campus. Located on blighted land multilevel, mixed-use buildings that will draw new once occupied by a steel manufacturing plant, the site demographics into the community. New retail shops was an eyesore. Inspired by NJCU’s mission to create visible from Route 440 will stimulate interest and a new campus and revitalize the urban fabric of the growth in the neighboring areas. Westside community, a team of design, planning and development experts collaborated to turn the site The West Campus master plan will directly into a thriving academic, retail, and social center. transform and improve a community on a vast urban scale. As environmental remediation moves KSS Architects is overseeing efforts to transform forward, positive changes are already evident after the site into a safe and vibrant hub of community completion of the University Charter School, one of and economic activity. Roads that once dead the first phases of the master plan. ended at the site will flow through the new Location: Jersey City, New Jersey Size: 22 acres of brownfield redevelopment, 1.5 million sf of program Features: Retail (Five buildings will provide more than 218,000 sf of retail); Education (Four buildings will provide 260,000 sf of space devoted primarily to educational use, academic facilities and offices, and performing arts); Housing (Four buildings will contain 250 units in approximately 300,000 sf); Parking (On-street parking, surface lots and four parking structures will provide 2,000 spaces) Sustainability: Pursuing LEED for Neighborhood Development| 26

NMallory East Street Audubon Avenue West Side Avenue Audubon Avenue West Side Avenue Mallory East Street Stegman Boulevard The main entrance for those members of the New Jersey City Stegman Boulevard University community arriving from the eastern campus. South Road RETAIL Carbon Place Stegman Boulevard HOURSEITNAGIL HOUSING TERRACE Stegman Boulevard TOWER Carbon Place HOUSING HOUSING TERRACE TOWER Stegman BoulevardMallory East Street Stegman Boulevard West Side Avenue Stegman Boulevard West Side Avenue Mallory East Street South Road Housing, retail and parking on this block have been placed to Carbon Place match like uses on the opposite side of the street, creating synergistic pairings. Stegman Boulevard Stegman Boulevard South Road HOUSING PARKING RETAIL HOUSING PARKING PARKING RETAIL HOUSING Carbon Place PARKING COMMERCIAL RETAIL COMMERCIAL RETAIL HOUSINGMallory West Street Mallory East Street The main public spaces of the redevelopment. A T-shaped civicMallory East Street Mallory West Street plaza connects the buildings on the blocks to each other and the other buildings in the redevelopment area. Stegman Boulevard COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL RETTAHIELATER PERFORMINGRAERTTASIL THEATER PERFORMING ARTS Carbon Place PERFORMING PERFORMING CENTER CENTER ARTS CENTER ARTS CENTREERTAIL RETAILMallory West Street Mallory East Street Two academic buildings with first floor retail on both sidesMallory East Street Mallory West Street of Stegman Boulevard will encourage pedestrian traffic and foster street life. Stegman Boulevard FUTURE FUTURE FUTURE AEBDCFUAUUIDCLTDEAUAMTIRCNIIEOAGCND/EMBFUICUILT/DUEIRDNEUGCATAIOCANDEMBFUICUILT/DUEIRDNEUGCATION FUTURE ACADEMIC / ACADEMIC / ACADEMIC /FUTURE ACADEMIC / EDUCATION EDUCATION EDUCATION EDUACCAATDIOENMIC / EDUCATION BUILDING BUILDING BUILDING BUILDINGBUILDING RETAIL RETAILMallory West Street Mallory East Street Housing, retailStegman and pBoulevard arking occur on this block. Retail andMallory East Street Mallory West Street commercial components are located on the first floor along all four frontages. South Road HOUSING PARKING HOUSING Carbon Place PARKINCGOMMERCCOIAML MERCIAL COMMERCIAL RETAIL HOUSING COMMERCIAL RETAIL HOUSING PEDESTRIAN PEDESTRIAN PASS THRU PASS THRU Route 440 Mallory Avenue West Route 440A small tower at the northwest corner of the block marks theMallory Avenue West West Campus site for those traveling on Route 440. The major commercial component forms a retail courtyard. ACADEMIC FINISH FINISH FLOORS GRADE GRADE ACADEMIC GFIRNAISDHECOMMEPRACRIKARILNEGTAILAFCLAODOERMSFIECIEDLOUDFCHFAIOTCIUEOSNPEA//RKING Stegman Boulevard FLOORS RETAIL RETAIL PARKING RETAIL PARKING FIELDHOUSE/ COMMERCIAL ACADEMIC EDUCATION/ FLOORS FINISH GRADE OFFICE Stegman Boulevard Route 440 Mallory West Street Route 440 Encloses the southern edge of the retail courtyard. The retailMallory West Street component is located on the first floor level of the building with offices, schools, or housing above. RETAIL RETAIL COMMERCIAL RETAIL COMMERCIAL RETAIL OFFICE / ACADEMIC / EDUCATION / HOUSING OFFICE / ACADEMIC / EDUCATION / HOUSING OFFICE / ACADEMIC / EDUCATION / HOUSING OFFICE / ACADEMIC / EDUCATION / HOUSING 27 |

DREW UNIVERSITY CAMPUS MASTER PLAN Drew University sought to enhance its essential • Build community. Create a social heart at the qualities and strengths, and establish a plan that university center to promote formal and informal would propel them forward for the next 20 years. One interactions and a sense of place. Strive for a strategy that resonated with the university was the pedestrian-oriented campus. creation of a “campus walk,” which formalized the • Improve campus perception to reflect the student-formed walking paths into a clear, aesthetic, university’s quality of education and update and hierarchal pedestrian walkway to support academic facilities. campus activities. The campus walk, coupled with • Strengthen the campus edge and approach. secondary walkways that weave through and around Redevelop the existing campus entrance to the campus’s heavy forests, will help Drew define create a memorable first impression. Improve their own solution to a traditional campus quad. parking and vehicular circulation. Working with the campus community, KSS Architects • Promote stewardship of the forest. Support identified several development initiatives, including: campus sustainability initiatives. Location: Madison, New Jersey Size: 186 acre campus Program: 20-year land use master plan to support the university Features: Infrastructure renovations, Campus program analysis, Strategic development for campus walks and spaces, Pedestrian and vehicular circulation, Facilities analysis and design| 28

LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENTCAMPUS IMPROVEMENTS—WALKS AND OPEN SPACE 29 |



URBANIZATION



TEACHERS VILLAGETEACHERS AS AGENTS OF CHANGECan a community of education act as a catalyst forurban revitalization? Can where teachers live affectthe relevance and vibrancy of a neighborhood?Without capes, masks or super-powers, theteachers of Newark, New Jersey are transformingboth the broad horizon of education and the moreintimate future of their community. As residentsof the newly constructed Teachers Village, theseeducators proudly teach in the City’s public,private, and charter schools, patronize local shopsand eateries, and live in purpose-built, teacheroriented residential towers. These buildings serveas a foundation of support for the teachers—fostering an exchange of experiences and ideas,and affording the opportunity to put down rootsand rise to the occasion of Newark’s urban renewal.THE PARTNERSHIPWhile the concept of charter schools has becomereality, the new idea of teachers and education-based communities as purveyors of urbanrenaissance requires a new incarnation of a public-private partnership—such as the one developedby Ron Beit, CEO of the RBH Group, Newark. Tofulfill its vision and mission, RBH—as leaders in realestate financing, development, and managementservices—acquired 77 different parcels of land along11 blighted blocks of Halsey and William Streets.In a complex, virtually one of a kind public-privatepartnership, development assistance and financialbacking came from a wide variety of financialand lending institutions, individual investors, andcity, state, and federal governments. The projectalso received one of the largest residential UrbanTransit Hub Tax Credit allocations in the State ofNew Jersey. The amalgamation of these financialarrangements resulted in the $150 million neededfor the eight-building project.

$150M THE COMMUNITYRAISED THROUGH The Halsey Street corridor and neighborhood, also known as an enclave for galleries and artists, isPUBLIC-PRIVATE surrounded by five universities and is in close proximity to public transportation. To be ideally situatedPARTNERSHIP FOR in an area conducive to creativity and higher education, RBH proposed a built solution to add re-vampedTEACHERS VILLAGE primary education to the mix—with the addition of one big, previously overlooked component—the community of teachers needed to not just sustain the schools, but to both anchor and drive the surrounding community forward. Research conducted by The RBH Group showed that just 19 percent of Newark teachers live in the city proper; 29 percent live in the New Jersey suburbs; 19 percent live in New York City; and 10 percent live in Jersey City. But when surveyed, Newark teachers were enthusiastic about housing options with shorter commute times and proximity to restaurants, movie theaters, bars, museums and shopping. THE PROPOSAL: Teachers Village—a mixed use educational, residential and retail environment to include three charter schools, a private daycare center, 214 units of affordable rental housing marketed to teachers, and 65,000 sf of high quality retail in over 20 different businesses. THE STRATEGY: by investing in the needs and wants of the teachers, the teachers become invested in not just their students, but in their surrounding community as well.214 THE ELEMENTSUNITS OF AFFORDABLE Richard Meier, Newark-born and world-renowned architect, designed the community’s master plan. KSSRENTAL HOUSING Architects was invited to the project to lend their expertise in charter school understanding and design,WITHIN TEACHERS utilize their experience with mixed-use properties, and share their passionate commitment to urban renewalVILLAGE through meaningful architecture. KSS began work on the interior of the TEAM charter school, serving students K-4, and the Discovery Charter School, serving middle school students 5th through 8th grades.65K sf Making the most of their building’s assets, these two schools, who share the building, also share a common gymnasium and exercise room which is also opened to the residential community by membership afterOF HIGH QUALITY school hours.RETAIL WITHIN The Great Oaks Charter School has been specifically designed to support a curriculum of general class time inTEACHERS VILLAGE the morning followed by robust tutoring sessions in the afternoons. A multi-purpose room transforms into a Tutoring Hall, complimented by a Commons Area, which is better suited for lower ratio tutor/student break-out sessions. The Chen School, providing daycare for infants, toddlers and Pre-K students has also been specifically designed to meet the needs of an urban daycare center. Common Areas support group play and assemblies, consideration has been given to safety concerns, and a rooftop play area has been created for outdoor play in a limited footprint building. KSS has also completed design work on another residential building, which will begin construction in the near future. THE RESULT also of Public-private partnerships, by nature of shared-goal, are build well-suited to professional-creative partnerships: a collection imagining individually talented people coming together to design and create not just a complex of buildings, but a community of learning, and achievement. We can conglomerate the finances and fostering the buildings, but it is not until the students, and their project a teachers, enter and use the buildings—bringing them to life, community and bringing forth change—that we can call the success. Success can be found in Newark’s Teachers Village.



RUTGERS UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY HONORS LIVING-LEARNING COMMUNITY Some see it as a parking lot. Rutgers University - the lower scale nature of the street the entry has Newark sees it as a plot of asphalt brimming with been pulled back, providing a public quadrangle for the potential to positively affect the University, the student and community utilization. city, the world – and the lives of the 500 students who will have earned the opportunity to live and Along Halsey and Washington Street, the building learn there. The RU-N Honors Living – Learning reinforces the active street wall desired in the living Community reinforces the University’s position as downtown plan by locating ground floor spaces such an integral component of the City of Newark, and as dining, bookstore, university daycare and other seeks to further serve its citizens by creating a living community-based retail directly below residences. and learning environment specifically designed to This approach responds to the Living Downtown support a diverse, yet select group of students. Plan to create a denser, more walkable city. To underpin RU-N’s strategic vision as rooted in the The parking accommodations are located along the cohort model, the design of the new building will least public façade of Linden Street, but rather than provide many avenues for student support. From create a hard uninviting edge, the building reaches residences and community building areas to state- out to the community via a set back ground floor. of-the-art learning environments, administration A grand staircase provides access to a rooftop facilities, dining and retail, the HLLC will become, recreation area and serves as a gathering space for architecturally, a partner in student success. casual conversation and impromptu amphitheater space for community musicians. The corner of The conceptual approach provides the appropriate Linden and University will be transformed from a massing to address various faces of the site. back-of-house parking lot to an inviting connection The building works to respond and reinforce the back to the campus, and respond to the future university’s connective corridor along New Street by student services building to be located across locating its main entrance along this façade. Due to University Avenue.| 36

NEW STREET New Quad WASHINGTON STREET Dining Child Care/ Kitchen Community Retail Service Access Service AccessD HALSEY STREET Servery Green Roof Recreation WASHINGTON STREET LINDEN STREET E B A LINDEN STREET HALSEY STREET CBUILDING KEY KSS ARCHITECTS HONORS LIVING-LENAEWRNSTIRNEEGT COMMUNITY GROUND FLOO Project No.502,296204G4SF| 07/23/15Building A 6] Rutgers- FFlloooorrs1:2-D6a:yRCesairdekenstsiaal rchitec[8t,s73.0coflomors 1-5/7,310 floor-Building B 59,040 GSF [9,840 per floor]- Floor 1: Lobby/Community Space/Honors Classrooms- Floors 2-6: ResidentialBuilding C 2,400 GSF - Floor 1: College HallBuilding D 106,410 GSF - Floor 1: Dining [14,430 floor 1/15,330 floors 2-7] - Floors 2-7: ResidentialBuilding E 66,080 GSF [16,520 per floor] D - Floors 1-4: Parking Deck 196 parking spaces - Green Roof Recreation LINDEN STREET KSS ARCHITECTS E HONORS LIVING-LEARNING Project No. 22244 | 07/23/15 B WASHINGTON STREET Ru kssarchitects.com A CBUILDING KEY HALSEY STREET NEW STREETBuilding A 50,960 GSF - Floor 1: Day Care [8,730 floors 1-5/7,310 floor 6] - Floors 2-6: ResidentialBuilding B 59,040 GSF [9,840 per floor] - Floor 1: Lobby/Community Space/Honors Classrooms - Floors 2-6: ResidentialBuilding C 2,400 GSF - Floor 1: College HallBuilding D 106,410 GSF - Floor 1: Dining [14,430 floor 1/15,330 floors 2-7] - Floors 2-7: ResidentialBuilding E 66,080 GSF [16,520 per floor] - Floors 1-4: Parking Deck 196 parking spaces - Green Roof Recreation KSS ARCHITECTS HONORS LIVING-LEARNING COMMUNITY Rutg3er7s U|niDveRrAsiFtTy Project No. 22244 | 07/23/15 kssarchitects.com

AEROFARMS TURNING A CITY GREEN WITH URBAN AGRICULTURE At 212 Rome Street in the Ironbound neighborhood KSS is designing the flagship headquarters for of Newark, New Jersey, growth is taking place. Aerofarms, and the aeroponic urban farm. The AeroFarms is the reason for that growth. As a leader farm will be completed in phases, culminating in urban agriculture, the company utilizes state-of- in three independent buildings. Building 1 will the-art technology to grow leafy greens, herbs and be processing, shipping and receiving, and farm micro greens in a process called “aeroponics”. In this related support areas; Building 2 will be comprised process the seeds are placed on a cloth material of growing and cooling space and a laboratory; and placed onto 5’-0” growing trays where they are Building 3 will contain additional growing space, misted with nutrient rich water. The trays are placed germination, event space and corporate offices. on growing racks under integrated LED lighting. Once the seeds have germinated and reached maturity, the The facility will operate on a 24 hours a day, 7 days trays are removed from the racks and taken by carts a week schedule. Local delivery of the produce will to the harvester. The harvesting machine removes occur 4 times a week to local food markets and the greens from the cloth and packages the product restaurants throughout Newark. into plastic containers. From here, the greens are packaged for shipment. Location: Newark, New Jersey Size: 77,000 sf of renovation and addition Features: Processing area, Shipping and receiving, Farm related support and growing areas, Cooling space, Laboratory, Shop, Event space, Corporate office space Awards: PlanSmart NJ Economic Development Achievement Award| 38



RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY 15 WASHINGTON ARTS SPACE “15 Washington” stands 16 stories tall on displays, coffee breaks, and lunchtime food for Washington Park in Newark, New Jersey. For almost thought. Organically shaped tables and stackable 85 years the former American Insurance Building chairs enable a variety of communal and singular has been a symbol of pride and progress in the city settings. An abundance of daylight easily converts of “New Work.” Rutgers University, in keeping with to pinpoint theatrical lighting via the ceiling-hung its role as a world-class, urban, public research light grid designed to mesh with the historic university that is not just in Newark but of Newark, architecture while providing structure for lighting, is poised to carry forward the mantle of New Work, rigging, and even sculpture. by giving to the City a place for New Art—the historic yet re-defined space of the Great Hall within Rutgers University partners with the scholars, the renovated environs of “15 Washington.” artists, citizens, and students of Newark to offer a forum for artistic expression, fostering new dialogue An innovative, highly flexible arts events space, and understanding. “15 Washington” is where the Great Hall rises 30 feet to the ceiling and heritage meets innovation; where history is rich— uses expansive vision and creative modularity to and forward thinking, priceless. showcase performances and cross-curricular events from concert, dance, and theater to sculptural Location: Newark, New Jersey Size: Approx. 25,000 sf Features: Amphitheater, Flexible arts events space, Faculty lounge, Art library, Rehearsal rooms, Control booth and recording studio.| 40



RHUATGHENRSE, T&HECSTOA.TEEUXNPIVRERESSITSY ONF ENEWWAJERRKSEYThe adaptive reuse of the vacated Hahne & Co. department store provides Rutgers with a unique, mission-driven opportunity to strengthen its relationship with Newark’s citizenry and the State of New Jersey. Thedevelopment of this historic landmark as a center for the creation, exhibition, and conversation of Arts andCommunications enhances the city’s “Arts Triangle”— the downtown area under development to reignite thevibrancy of the city core.Rutgers developed 50,000 sf of the 500,000 sf building as a distinctive, community-based educational programthat includes an art incubator, community media center, portrait studio, design consortium, and letterpressstudio. Community partnerships are numerous, including charter schools, county and city colleges, boys andgirls clubs, the city museum, and local professional artists. Open programs range from weekly Print Clubsessions for printmarkers of all ages to rotating Art Break lessons that help visitors unwind, explore, andexperiment with different forms of artmaking. The center is a beacon of diversity and cultural enrichment,drawing together people of all ages, ethnicities, and occupations—utilizing the Arts as a common bond.For Rutgers University, as an anchor institution in Newark, it is through the thoughtfully crafted relationshipbetween architecture and community that the fabric of its urban neighborhood will be strengthened andrevitalized. A great place, such as the renovated and re-purposed Hahne & Co. Building, will not only bring aLocation: Newark, New JerseySize: 50,000 sfFeatures: Art incubator, 3D print shop, gallery spaces, production studio, community media center, portrait studio, design consortium, lecture hall, lobby, lounges, resource library, and letterpress studio.







UNCOMMON SCHOOLS NORTH STAR ACADEMY, 377 WASHINGTON ST. Great potential lies in one of Newark’s parking lots and the combined middle and elementary schools. – and is clearly envisioned by North Star Academy. The complex stacking of classrooms, gymnasiums Rising from the asphalt, a school will ascend to and cafeterias benefits from highly specialized house over 1,500 students in 13 grades, on 6 floors. building engineering. Also taking shape: 2 gymnasiums, 2 cafeterias, and 2 performance art rooms serving as stages for the Directly adjacent and connected to the new school gymnasiums – all in all, 165,000 square feet of is an existing parking garage that will sport a educational space and community pride. re-clad exterior, and a rooftop play area with two basketball courts. To continue its incubation of schools, North Star Academy is building a high school at 377 Located in an ideal “bridge” position straddling Washington Street and relocating its West Side the city and nearby residential neighborhoods, Park elementary and middle schools to the same the parking lot at 377 Washington will soon be location. Mindfully planned, the design gives transformed in its physicality–and in its power–to each school its own identity with features such provide education, self-confidence and hope for the as a dedicated drop-off and entrance area to a future to Newark students. gymnasium and cafeteria each for the high school Location: Newark, New Jersey Program: New construction of K-12 school to serve 1,500 students Size: 165,000 sf Features: 6-floor school facility, 2 gymnasiums, 2 performance art rooms, 2 cafeterias Est. Project Cost: $25 Million| 46



NEW JERSEY CITY UNIVERSITY STUDENT HOUSING DESIGN NJCU’s campus lies within pedestrian-friendly The proposed building, a brick masonry structure residential neighborhoods on the west side of Jersey with a front garden courtyard, emulates the City. Tidy row homes and ground-level retail line the gorgeous urban landscaping of the campus. The streets along with larger pre-war housing buildings public areas of the building utilize storefront glass and schools. The area is ideal for student housing to create interest, vitality, and transparency, which because of its proximity to campus and relation allows this building to become a safe haven of to scale of the surrounding residential context. activity at all hours of the day. The transparency However the university’s current housing building reinforces a visual connection with university’s on Kennedy Boulevard is in a state of disrepair future plans for front yard presence on Kennedy and cannot accommodate the desired quantity Boulevard. In keeping with the context and scale of students. The University wants to build a new, of the neighborhood, the building includes durable state-of-the-art building that will accommodate materials, which will provide ease of maintenance more students and offer amenities that will make and longevity for the University. NJCU competitive for student population growth. Location: Jersey City, New Jersey Program: Student housing development with various unit types Size: 5 story, 47,000 sf building accommodating 263 beds; 5 story, 215 beds in a suite-style format (alternate scheme) Features: Reception area, Residence life and building management offices, Security, Multipurpose room, On-site laundry, Garden courtyard, Group lounge on each floor, Private bathrooms in each unit| 48