with Rogers Partners Architects + Urban Designers

To meet its expanding needs, MMS purchased the historic brick townhouse next door to its existing campus on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The fact that the four floor levels of the townhouse didn't match those of the existing school made connecting the buildings at each level a challenge. The solution created a central vertical space that allowed views betwen floors, more daylight, and breakout spaces for student and teacher gatherings to support pillars of Montessori pedagogy like movement and self-directed learning. The painted steel plate railing that winds its way up this central stair was laser cut using designs from the students' art projects. (photos by Ashok Sinha)