Poly Prep Lower School | Platt Byard Dovell White Architects

Poly Prep Lower School is designed by Platt Byard Dovell White Architects, Project Team: Samuel G. White, FAIA, Design Principal; Serena Losonczy, Project Manager; Matthew Mueller, Job Captain; Leonard Leung; Marie Marberg; Charles Melanson; Tomo Tsujita; Julie Janiski, LEED AP. Our design for Poly Prep reflects a combination of institutional use, residential scale, and compact landscape design in a low-rise urban context.

Photography by © Jonathan Wallen

Unanimously approved by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, Platt Byard Dovell White’s design for the addition to the Hulbert Mansion in the Park Slope Historic District incorporates important aesthetic elements of the neighborhood in a contemporary glass, metal, and brick four-story building. The prestigious school had outgrown its space in the existing building – “the castle,” as the students fondly refer to it – and required a renovation of the interior of the existing school and an addition of a modern structure to their campus.

Photography by © Jonathan Wallen

The fast-track addition included eight classrooms, a 2,400 sq. ft. gym, faculty offices, a dance studio and a new ADA compliant entrance to the school. A gathering area within the school’s campus was created outside the new entrance to facilitate the arrival and departure of students and their parents at the busiest times of the day. Design and construction operations conform to the requirements of the U. S. Green Building Council for LEED Silver; Poly Prep was the first school in New York City to achieve LEED certification.

Photography by © Jonathan Wallen

Project Info:
Architects: Platt Byard Dovell White Architects
Location: 50 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Original Architect: Montrose Morris, Romanesque Revival Hulbert Mansion
Cost: $20 million
Client: Poly Prep Country Day School
Landmark Status: Park Slope Historic District
Project Year: 2007
Photographs: Jonathan Wallen
Project Name: Poly Prep Lower School