Contract Magazine
Commercial interior design and architecture
February 2003
Active Design
New design concept challenges traditional layouts.
By Jennifer Thiele Busch – Reproduced with permission of “Contract Magazine, VNU Business Media”
It is probably safe to say that the design of the Early Childhood Development Center in the St. Clare’s Parish Cardinal Cooke Center on Staten Island, N.Y., is like nothing you’ve ever seen before–at least not in a pre-school and certainly not in any facility associated with the conservative Catholic Church. But when one young student was overheard describing the interiors as “unfamiliar” to his father, it was precisely this reaction that thrilled design architect Stephen Perrella. Inspiring curiosity among the kids and introducing the physical environment as a subject of conversation has been just one of the benefits associated with the renovation of this tired-turned-vibrant, 3,800-sq. ft. learning space.
The bold design concept–known as “hypersurfaces”, where color and form interfuse and walls and ceilings become active surfaces as opposed to structural elements that merely divide space using a technique–was the brainchild of Perrella. But the guts to turn it into reality belong to David Businelli, a principal of Salvadeo Associates Architects on Staten Island. And to the client, of course. A long-time parishioner at St. Clare’s–and a former student who is now the parent of a current pre-schooler–Businelli was unsettled by the physical condition of the Cardinal Cooke Center, which showed considerable wear, lacked proper circulation, and was plagued by poor ventilation. When he approached Mgsr. Joseph P. Murphy of St. Clare’s Parish with the suggestion that he do a pro-bono design analysis of the space, the idea was welcomed.
“David mentioned that he would be happy to contribute his services to the parish, and thought he could come up with a design that would appeal to the youngsters”, recalls Msgr. Murphy. With 192 children already enrolled–and choosing St. Clare’s over public pre-school, which is offered in all New York City boroughs–the early childhood development program at St. Clare’s was already appealing to numerous families based on its reputation for excellence. But according to pre-school director Julie MacDonald, the program lacked a physical space appropriate to its stature in the community.
Businelli was determined to change that, and called in Perrella to collaborate on a space where imagination has appropriately run wild. “They didn’t really give me a program, so I started developing ideas for a colorful, fun, child-friendly space that stayed away from the rectilinear”, recalls Businelli. The pair set about upgrading mechanical systems and rearranging the interior spaces to create a focal entry point, functional classrooms, and multi-purpose spaces. They also sought to improve circulation, reclaim unused space, create dual interior horizons appropriate to both child and adult heights, and establish a division of space that symbolizes the Catholic dialectic between the secular and the transcendent. And Perrella introduced the concept of hypersurfaces.
“The hypersurface theory means activating every surface as a means to be responsive to the specifics of the program”, explains Perrella. “In the 21st Century, all surfaces can be informed. They do not need to be neutral, homogenous”. Nevertheless, no ordinary contractor would necessarily agree. So the architects called in construction manager Ryder Construction, whose president, Frank Mossimilo, jumped at the opportunity, according to Businelli, and rightfully deserves an enormous amount of credit for the successful outcome. Much of the framing and plasterwork had to be figured out on site as the construction progressed, with Perrella himself contributing a lot of elbow grease. “I was doing some of the labor myself, which they ripped out”, he admits. But at least his passion was evident, and the client realized too that this unusual interior taking shape was a labor of love. Businelli’s insistence was also key. “I was very strong in getting across to the contractor and the client that this space was to be built as designed”, he says.
“It sort of excited me”, admits Mgsr. Murphy of the unorthodox space. “I didn’t feel nervous at all. We needed to do something dramatic, since we’re in competition with the public schools. It was a good business decision, not to mention the fact that physical space is very important in a school environment”.
Dramatic it is. And to cap it all off–literally–on Perrella’s recommendation Businelli also specified a first-time ceiling installation that embraces the hypersurface theory. Designed by world-renowned morphologist Dr. Haresh Lalvani and fabricated by Milgo/Bufkin, the ceiling system employs a laser-cut algorithmic pattern on a folded aluminum surface. “It was very complex”, says Perrella, but appropriate because “St. Clare’s is so much about shapes, forms, and questioning flatness”.
The questions did indeed come. Perrella admits he temporarily panicked as parents and kids arrived to see the new space for the first time. “I had this horrifying moment”, he recalls. “For years I have studied radical architecture when it meets the everyday, and it suddenly occurred to me that we could scare the kids. I had an existential crisis”. But the kids allayed his fears, exhibiting nothing more than a sense of wonder. Imagine that.