Divided across two distinct campuses, Brooklyn Prospect Charter School’s elementary program is located in a downtown Brooklyn building that formerly housed St. Joseph’s parochial school. Meanwhile, Brooklyn Charter’s middle and high school programs are located in a former Roman Catholic diocese school in Windsor Park, which has already undergone previous renovations. Upon completion, the planned expansion of that campus will add 5,900 square feet of teaching and administrative space, as well as a new music room.

“Brooklyn Prospect has been very astute in working cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn to satisfy the school’s expanding requirements for well located space,” said Loci Architecture Principal Dave Briggs. Briggs also noted that Loci has been careful to design changes “that respect the original character of the [Windsor Park] building and the presence of the convent.”

Loci Architecture has already completed several projects for the thriving Brooklyn charter school. In 2012, the firm designed new biology and chemistry labs for the Windsor Terrace campus, and added a dance facility to the school’s existing gymnasium. Those additions, as well as this new project, complement the six-year-old charter school’s adoption of an International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, which is recognized by many leading universities around the world as a superior qualification for admission.

Loci Architecture has worked extensively with charter schools and educational institutions, including Saint David’s School, The Carroll School and Molloy College. According to Briggs, the firm understands “how to work quickly under tight budgets without sacrificing quality,” which he believes is extremely important to the expanding charter school movement.

Briggs and Loci architect Heather McKinstry will jointly serve as project leaders for the Windsor Park expansion. Gabor M. Szakal Consulting Engineers P.C. of Manhattan will provide engineering services, while Talisen Construction of New York will serve as the project’s general contractor.

Loci Architecture was founded in 1993 with a focus on sustainable design and a commitment to creating richer, more dynamic places that restore natural and built environments. In addition to educational design, the firm’s projects include non-profit community centers, building restorations, single-family private residences, school renovations, and office spaces.

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The respected Brooklyn Prospect Charter School first opened to middle and high school-level students in 2009. Three years later, the school’s original 57,000-square-foot facility on Fort Hamilton Parkway received a $6 million upgrade, adding four science labs, hundreds of lockers, improved restroom facilities and a bright, uplifting paint job. The building was also outfitted with wireless Internet, furthering the school’s mission to prepare students for future technology-based learning.

Faced with an increase in admission requests, the school announced the expansion of the original Hamilton Parkway location in 2013. Loci Associates was tapped to help redesign the existing structure, adding new chemistry and biology laboratories, as well as a dance studio. As the school also shares space with a working convent, the addition injected new life and vitality into the converted Catholic school building.

At the same time, Loci also designed several classrooms and administrative offices for BPCS’s newest venture, an elementary school occupying the top three floors of nearby 80 Willoughby St. The addition of an elementary facility will allow the charter school to add one new grade each year, eventually becoming a K-5. This will also allow students to enjoy International Baccalaureate Programme education from kindergarten through high school. The 18,000-square-foot elementary, which also shares spaces with St. Joseph High School, opened in early September 2013 and will eventually serve approximately 300 K-5 students.

Daniel Rubenstein, executive director and co-founder of the Brooklyn school, which has gained both local and national attention for its commitment to racial and socioeconomic diversity, is very pleased with its progress. “Six years ago we set out to open a diverse, high-performing public school that would prepare students for a global world,” said Rubenstein. “We are proud of how far we’ve come.” Rubenstein added that the school’s new K-5 addition allows the existing 6-12 program to have an even greater impact.

The school, which holds an annual lottery for admission, was chartered by the State University of New York Charter Schools Institute and is one of only several non-selective public schools currently offering the International Baccalaureate Programme. As evidenced by the progressive and challenge curriculum, the school is committed to providing a global education. This goal is reflected throughout its IBP curriculum, which is applauded by many top universities and colleges. This unique approach to education is similar to that of a college preparatory, and fosters peer collaboration, encourages personal reflection, promotes community service and prepares students for a global workforce by developing second language fluency. “Our goal is to prepare students for success in a rigorous high school diploma program,” said the school’s co-founder and current middle school principal, LaNolia Omowanile. “It’s not about passing Regents, it’s about going in-depth in the subjects.”

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