Having grown beyond the capacity of the original building (also designed by Urbahn), the BelovED Community Charter School required significant expansion. Urbahn designed the 22,000 square foot addition to house classrooms and dedicated spaces for computer lab, art and music, as well as a cafeteria and a half-court gymnasium. The brick and stucco exterior was designed to reflect the surrounding Jersey City neighborhood. One of the first projects to be constructed since Hurricane Sandy inundated the area, Urbahn’s design features a range of flood resiliency measures. The first floor is raised six feet above grade and the space below is skirted with break-away panels, allowing high velocity water to pass through rather than transfer their force to the building structure. A new elevator provides ADA access at the juncture between the original building and the addition.
