A former industrial laundry facility 900 is the new home for 400 sixth-through-eighth graders of the Wakisha Charter School. Located in the Yorktown neighborhood, the adaptive reuse project features modern classrooms, library/media center, science and technology labs, arts studios, gymnasium, cafeteria, public meeting space and on-site parking. Each grade level and the arts and science/technology areas are centered on ‘neighborhood squares’ where communal activities and display areas foster group identities. The school brings energy and life into the neighborhood drawing new students from the community and utilizing existing public playing fields and tennis courts. The community has welcomed the school as a positive step in sparking development on both sides of the adjacent elevated SEPTA train tracks. 

Completion: 2009
Location: Philadelphia, PA
56,000 Sq.Ft.