Widely acknowledged for its education-focused projects across all levels of academia, DIGroup Architecture (DIG) has completed its first New York City School project – P.S. 748, The Albee Square Campus in Brooklyn, N.Y. The new school is part of the city’s commitment to add 45,000 seats across the city as scheduled in the New York City School Construction Authority’s (NYC SCA) 2020-24 Capital Plan.
Working in collaboration with NYC SCA, DIG was tapped to design the fit-out of a new primary school within a new, mixed-use high-rise development. Come this September, the building will serve as a new PreK-through-5th grade school.
While the elementary school was receiving its finishing touches, the space temporarily served as Design Works High School for the 2023-2024 school year. The high school’s first class of ninth graders brought their energy and excitement to the Albee Square Campus while they focused on exploring the power of design-thinking and its relationship to social justice.
“This project is a true reflection of the work we are committed to at DIG, and we are privileged to be a part of SCA’s investment in New York City Schools,” said Jeff Venezia, chief executive officer of DIG. “The temporary use of the Albee Square Campus by Design Works High School also demonstrated the flexibility of the space as well as the adaptability and commitment of NYC SCA to remain nimble in accommodating student needs.”
A leading urban-school designer, DIG originated as a consortium of several small architectural firms known as NJK-12, which came together to collaborate and compete for large projects issued by the New Jersey Schools Development Authority for the purpose of revitalizing the state’s most-underserved public school districts. Due to the alliance’s success at delivering the state’s most-significant, community-centered school-design projects, the founding principals at four of the firms merged in 2006 to create DIGroup Architecture.
Today, DIG has expanded its activities into two of the nation’s largest public school districts – New York City and Philadelphia – with K-8 school construction projects that account for over half-a-billion dollars to date.
Located at One Willoughby Square, The Albee Square Campus is situated on the first six floors of a new 34-story mixed-use building branded as 1WSQ. The 540-foot-high office tower is the first new building of its kind to take shape in Downtown Brooklyn since 2004.
The Albee Square Campus occupies approximately 80,000 SF and includes a gymatorium, kitchen and cafeteria, assembly space, grade-specific floors with 14 total classrooms and two special education classrooms as well as a dedicated entry on the ground level. The campus is the first project DIG has completed in partnership with NYC SCA. In addition, the firm designed a 3K Center in Brooklyn and has two other assignments nearing design completion, Q340 Queens and X515 Van Cortland Park in the Bronx.