Commodore John Barry Elementary School

Philadelphia, PA, USA

Photo © Matt Wargo

Drawing © Ross Barney Architects

Photo © Matt Wargo

Architects: Ross Barney Architects

Location: Philadelphia, PA, USA
Year: 2008

The new Commodore John Barry Elementary School accommodates 646 students from pre-kindergarten through 8th Grade on Philadelphia’s west side. The site is bounded on all four sides by 2 story brick row houses, dating to the early 1900’s.

The design challenge for this project was to provide a first rate academic facility on a gritty, tight urban site. To maximize outdoor play area and neighborhood green space, a four-story school was designed with minimal at grade play areas and roof gardens adjacent to 4th floor classrooms.

The schedule was a challenge for the project. Design and Construction Documents were completed in 8 months and construction complete in 16 months. The original schedule called design and construction to be completed in 3 years.

The new school contains 46 classrooms. Additional instructional spaces include Art, Science, Vocal Music, and Technical Education. The building contains a Cafetorium with a stage area and Warming Kitchen, a Gymnasium with locker and shower areas and an Instructional Media Center, containing a computer classroom, conference rooms and a library.