SPENCE ATHLETIC

Spence School Athletic & Ecology Center

A multifunctional building serving education and sports

In New York City's Yorkville neighborhood stands the new building of the Spence School, a private school for girls in grades K through 12th, founded in 1892. It is a six-story, 58,000-square-foot building that houses the school's sports, arts and environmental facilities. The building, designed by Rogers Partners, is the result of a vision that combines imagination and purpose in what will be an ongoing commitment to sports, culture and the environment. 

The building, named Spence 412 after its address, offers its students a variety of spaces and services, including:

 

- A regulation-size gymnasium for volleyball and basketball, with seating for 450 spectators

- A student center, with areas for studying, relaxing and socializing

- Nine squash courts, including an exhibition court with seating for 60 people, making the school a major venue for one of the fastest-growing sports in the city

- A multi-purpose hall for the performing arts, with stage, lighting and sound

- An ecological center, with teaching lab, kitchen and vegetable garden

- A greenhouse and outdoor rooftop space with plants and flowers

The building design takes full advantage of the opaque and visual portions of the work by being north-facing with the large glass facade that maximizes natural light inside the building while avoiding the problem of glare. Patterned glazing provides privacy for students, while flashes of color and movement of school activities can be observed from the street. Variegated volumes define the light and airy front. The basic organizing principle of the interior design is to connect all volumes with a communicating staircase that provides an informal place for students participating in different activities to meet spontaneously as they move through the building.


The building is designed by Richard Rogers, one of the world's most famous and award-winning architects and a pioneer of high-tech in architecture. For the facade, Rogers collaborated with Front, a design consulting group prized for its customized approach to the design and construction process. The facade was designed, engineered, and fabricated by AZA int. The façade consists of 8,780 square feet of custom system with triangular metal fins, which create an effect of dynamism and transparency.

Spence 412 is a multi-purpose building serving education and sports, representing one of the highlights of the New York City architectural landscape.

CUSTOMER

Walsh Glass & Metal

LOCALITY.

412 East 90th Street

New York

DESCRIPTION

Unitized facade

815 sq.m.

DESIGNER

Rogers Partners, LLP

YEAR

2018

AZA contributed to the supply for AZAINT