Brooklyn Passive House Public Schools

This new ultra-low energy use building designed to the rigorous Passive House standards will be a first for a NYC public school. The 146,000 SF project is a civic symbol of public education in rapidly transforming Downtown Brooklyn.

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The new building houses two New York City public schools: PS 456 The Elizabeth Jennings School for Bold Explorers, a new dual English-Spanish primary school, and Khalil Gibran International Academy (KGIA), the existing dual English-Arabic language public high school. The two schools share recreational and kitchen facilities while maintaining their distinct institutional identities with separate classrooms, libraries, stairwells, and terraces.

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State Street facade of the new primary school.

The smaller scale new primary school, PS 456, opens onto a brownstone-lined street while the Khalil Gibran International Academy’s larger scale is situated on Flatbush Avenue, a major thoroughfare with large scale commercial, cultural and residential development. It is located near Atlantic Terminal, the Brooklyn Cultural District, and Barclays Center.

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  • The gymnatorium double functions as both a recreational and gathering space for school events or off-hours community programs.
  • PS 456 rainbow play terrace
  • PS 456 primary school classroom views overlooking State Street
  • KGIA high school classroom overlooking Flatbush Ave

The team applied Passive House Institute standards meant for homes to an academic space. Compared to a standard NYC public school, the building reduces energy consumption by more than 70% and will be an energy-efficient benchmark for future City public schools.

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Passive House strategies at 100 Flatbush
Passive House strategies for the school building.

Designed by ARO, the school project is part of Alloy Development’s mixed-use development in Downtown Brooklyn. This community-oriented Alloy Block includes units of mixed-income housing, office space, retail space, and a new cultural facility in a preserved historic structure.

Learn more about the development here.

Watch the team present the project at Building Energy Exchange Archtober 2019:

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News
Photograph of Dominic Griffin against a gray backdrop
Watch – Dominic Griffin Presents Flatbush Ave Primary and High School at 2023 Passive House Network Conference
Rendering of the entry to the primary school at 100 Flatbush
7/19 ARO and Alloy Join the Urban Design Forum for a Tour of the Alloy Block
Press
Brooklyn Passive House Public Schools in The Architect’s Newspaper
Photograph of new public school building under construction in Downtown Brooklyn
Khalil Gibran International Academy and PS 456 in The New York Times
Photo of entrance to PS 456 with Reuters logo in upper left corner
Watch – Adam Yarinsky and Dominic Griffin Interviewed about Brooklyn Passive House Public Schools for Reuters
Rendering of the primary school entrance at 100 Flatbush
100 Flatbush in Bloomberg Citylab
Photo of two toddlers playing on a slide
Barnard College CSCD, 100 Flatbush Public Schools, and Launch School in Oculus
Rendering of the entrance to 100 Flatbush
100 Flatbush in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle
100 Flatbush in Bklyner
100 Flatbush in Curbed
100 Flatbush in The Architect’s Newspaper