The NYC Department of Education, School Construction Authority, Urbahn Architects, and MPCC Break Ground on $52.4 Million Addition to P.S. 144Q Colonel Jeromus Remsen School in Queens

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, School Construction Authority (SCA) Director Lorraine Grillo, Principal Reva Gluck Schneider, elected officials, and representatives of the New York City Department of Education, Urbahn Architects, and general contractor MPCC celebrated the traditional groundbreaking ceremony for the Public School 144 addition. Located at 93-02 69th Avenue in the Forest Hills section of Queens, New York, the addition will accommodate the growing enrollment in the elementary school, also known as the Colonel Jeromus Remsen School, which currently serves 894 students in grades Pre-K to 5.

“The $52.4 million, four-story addition will house 26 new classrooms, an entrance lobby, an outdoor play area, a cafeteria, offices, and a medical suite. The new building’s contemporary architecture will reflect the exterior of the original school erected in 1931,” said Urbahn Architects’ Principal, Donald E. Henry, Jr., AIA, LEED AP.

According to Urbahn Principal and Designer, Martin D. Stein, AIA, “The new building will accommodate 590 students and address functional deficiencies of the existing school. The expansion will also eliminate the need for the currently used temporary modular, outdoor classroom facilities. The project was designed to address the school’s needs in the most cost-effective manner and to minimize the extent of renovations to the existing building, which will continue to operate during construction.”

The addition is designed in accordance with the NYC Green Schools Guide and Rating System, which specifies energy efficiency and healthy-environment requirements for New York City public schools.

In addition to the SCA, Urbahn Architects, and MPCC, the project team includes structural engineer Leslie E. Robertson Associates LERA; mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineer Loring Consulting Engineers; civil engineer Yu + Associate Engineers; landscape architect Edgewater Design; lighting consultant Lumen Architecture; acoustic, A/V, IT, and security consultant Cerami & Associates; and food service consultant Schiavone Designs.

Urbahn’s architectural design team includes Lead Partner and Principal Donn Henry, AIA, LEED AP; Designer and Principal Martin D. Stein, AIA; Project Manager Martin Kropf; and Project Architect Oni Lloyd.