We began the design process for Pressman Academy, a Private Jewish Middle School, with a series of meetings with the teachers, the administration, and the temple leaders and community. Through these meetings, the conceptual intent for the school was formed: a contemporary learning environment filled with maker and collaboration spaces, and incorporating a gathering space for the community.

The result is a flexible and open plan which expresses the alternative learning model that is at the core of the school. A high level of connectivity between indoors and outdoors, particularly in the plaza between the school and the neighboring temple, establishes a visual and spatial sense of community.