MAP designs 264-seat New LIFE Secondary School in South Bronx

The New LIFE Secondary School celebrated its grand opening on Saturday, September 11th with a ribbon cutting ceremony in its just-completed building. Designed by award-winning Magnusson Architecture and Planning, PC (MAP), this new 264-seat high school for students with emotional, behavioral and academic disabilities is the first facility of its kind in the Bronx. Developed and run by Lutheran Social Services of New York, the school serves vulnerable students who would otherwise be faced with long bus rides to distant locations in the metropolitan area. The project has entailed the gut renovation and adaptive re-use of a vacant 2½-story warehouse building in the Melrose section of the Bronx. "We took advantage of the existing rectangular floor-plates and large industrial windows with expansive views to the west, to create bright classrooms along the exterior walls, with a simple and flexible circulation system tying all program spaces together," said Christine Hunter, MAP principal-in-charge of the project. "To serve the student population most effectively, individual staff offices and resource rooms are interspersed between classrooms and distributed throughout the building." Ronald Drews, CEO of The New LIFE School and its parent agency, Lutheran Social Services of New York said, "We're very pleased with the transformation of the warehouse into a cheerful and welcoming facility that will enable us to expand our mission of providing exceptional education opportunities for special needs high school students in the New York City area."