Solomon Schechter Day School
45 Spruce Street, Oakland, NJ

Owner:	Solomon Schechter Day School
Size:	25,000 square feet
Cost:	$5 million

The Solomon Schechter Day School was relocated to a new site in Oakland in an existing 25,000 square foot structure, which was initially built as a speculative office/warehouse building. The design team assisted the school search committee in evaluating three other sites before selecting this site. All finishes were improved and remodeled to accommodate 200 students in 6 preschool classrooms and 9 elementary classrooms. Other programmatic issues were provisions for religious observance (a chapel was designed) as well as a multi-purpose gymnasium.

Refinement of the site design included the implementation of an enclosed outdoor play area and seasonal planting areas. Due to traffic congestion during "pick up" and "drop off" hours, a traffic analysis was also conducted to evaluate patterns on the site as well as around it. The designers were able to resolve the access to the building, accommodate parents and maintain security of the students. The design by members of Studio 5 has transformed an underutilized building into a vibrant modern private school.