The Packer Collegiate Institute Garden House School | WXY Architecture + Urban Design

The Packer Collegiate Institute Garden House School is a light-filled, mass-timber hub for The Packer Collegiate Institute’s Lower School, designed for the joy of its students and the ease of those who teach and care for them. The first major capital project ” The Packer Collegiate Institute Garden House School ” to emerge from WXY architecture + urban design’s 2022 Facilities Master Plan for the pre-K-12 school, the 17,250-square-foot extension addition unifies a historic, but spatially fragmented, campus and proposes a forward-looking, sustainable vision for educational design.

The four-level Garden House extends from the preserved shell of a 19th-century brownstone, previously isolated on the southern edge of campus, stitching together the school’s diverse ensemble of buildings and emphasizing a revitalized green space at the heart of campus. Its red-brick exterior, made with 100% recycled clay content, honors the school’s environmental goals while acknowledging the Victorian masonry across Packer’s campus and the surrounding neighborhood. Constructed from sustainably managed wood from northern Ontario, the new addition is also the first mass-timber school building in New York City.

Guided by a human-centered design approach, the Garden House accommodates students in grades 1-4 with highly effective environments for early learning. Inside, flexible classrooms pair generous natural light with the warmth of wood, healthy materials, and acoustic strategies that foster focus and comfort for early learners. Each floor serves one grade with a dedicated sequence of classrooms, learning suites, washrooms, and breakout spaces.

WXY left the cross-laminated and glulam timber elements that form the building’s primary structure, and lowered its embodied carbon, exposed. Studies show that wood interiors can lower stress, stabilize heart rates, and promote focus—benefits that are especially valuable in early education settings. In order to maximize daylight, classrooms line a single-loaded corridor, opening sight lines into the outdoor garden, which was revitalized by WXY in partnership with landscape architects Starr Whitehouse.

The refreshed garden provides an environment that foregrounds inclusive play and everyday learning. A buffer planting along Livingston Street helps filter pollutants and reduce noise, improving air quality and creating a calm environment. Two new universally accessible entrances allow students and staff to experience the campus’s green heart more directly, reinforcing its role as both a shared commons and a learning space. Complemented by new wood play elements and stepped seating, the landscape design fosters biodiversity and resilience—nearly 90% of the new trees, shrubs, perennials, and grasses are regionally native or climate-resilient.

As outlined in the Facilities Master Plan, Packer is committed to reducing campus energy consumption by 30% by 2040. The Garden House advances this goal through a holistic, fully electric design that pairs high-performance insulation, daylight-responsive lighting, and efficient HVAC systems with low-carbon, durable materials. Two green roofs further improve energy performance and manage stormwater on-site.

Both contemporary and contextual, the Garden House meets the demands of early education today while anticipating tomorrow’s climate and energy needs. It expands the campus’s architectural language with intention and restraint, embodying Packer’s mission to evolve for future generations while honoring the historic character that defines the school’s identity.

Project Info:
Architects: WXY Architecture + Urban Design
Country: Brooklyn, United States
Area: 17250 ft²
Year: 2025
Photography: Albert Vecerka/Esto
Design Team: WXY architecture + urban design