The new Trevor Day School is prime example of a vertical campus.  The site is only 100 x 100 ft—smaller than most suburban residential building lots. Yet the new school, which includes 15 stories and rises 210 feet above the ground, encloses 110,000 sf of academic space. Almost 9,000 sf of usable exterior space is located on rooftops at three different levels. 

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The building is most easily understood in section. The 85-foot high base of the building hugs the northern property line (95th Street).  The School's major communal spaces (gym, fitness center, theatre, dining, library) are arranged and interconnected within the volume of that base.  Above the 85-foot base, a glass tower rises another 125 feet. The spaces in the tower include classrooms, labs, studios, offices, and common study areas. Four of the seven academic floors are vertically connected to other floors. There is a half-sized gym at the top of the tower and, above that, an outdoor play space on the highest roof.  The building accommodates all of the functions found on the inside and most of the functions found on the outside of buildings on traditional academic campuses. 

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The building’s occupants can move vertically via elevators, open staircases, and fire stairs. The plan allows them to be aware of the many activities taking place at the same time. This transparency strengthens the communal nature of the school. 

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