Elm Tree Elementary School - PS 298, Queens

  • Location: Queens, NY

    Area: 110,000 ft² / 10,200 m²

    Use: classrooms, specialized instruction spaces, auditorium, gym, cafeteria

    Pei Cobb Freed and Partners
    Design Partner: Ian Bader

Elm Tree Elementary School PS 298 is located on the industrial edge of a residential neighborhood in Corona, Queens. The building’s refined form is enlivened by details that highlight the presence of its young students.

The building is composed of two distinct parts: a classroom wing and a volume for assembly spaces, connected by a open central section. Students enter from a play yard into a lobby that offers a view through to the opposite street.

A commissioned artwork by Korean artist Sun Kwak frames the main entrance, introducing a flowing, dynamic element that contrasts with the building’s otherwise disciplined architectural expression.

Shallow lintels and steeply sloped window sills are designed to give students views from upper floors down to the play yard and the street.

Colored shades communicate the school’s internal activity to the street.

Its design features simple massing and brick masonry construction that reflects the materiality of the nearby manufacturing warehouses.

A wide staircase leads students to a brightly colored corridor in the classroom wing and to the assembly spaces.

Interior finishes and lighting were coordinated at the highest level and all construction was executed to the rigorus standards of the NY School Costruction Authority.

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