Rhode Island District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 07/24/23

Cranston Public Schools in Cranston, R.I., recently broke ground on a brand-new building for Gladstone Elementary School, according to a press release. The district partnered with architecture firm Finegold Alexander for the 100,000-square-foot facility that will consolidate two local elementary schools—Gladstone and Arlington Elementary School. The facility will have space for about 798 students in grades K–5, and completion is scheduled for summer 2025, the news release reports.

The building’s design will feature six learning communities across three stories. Each learning community serves as a single suite of interconnected rooms. Connecting the learning communities will be one Curiosity Center per floor, which will feature music, library, art, and maker spaces. The first floor will also include gathering spaces, informal seating, and the cafeteria.

Outdoor amenities will include three outdoor learning areas, playing fields, playgrounds, and a community garden. The school’s design intentionally creates a compact building footprint and promotes energy efficiency, orienting the building towards the sun to maximize daylight within the facility as much as possible.

“Finegold Alexander has been eager to break ground on the new Gladstone Elementary School and excited the day has finally come,” said Regan Shields Ives, Finegold Alexander Principal. “This innovative design creates opportunities for each child to learn in a unique environment that suits their learning needs, and we are honored to be a part of this transformational project.”

According to local news, the school’s gymnasium will have its own entrance so that the space can be used by the public at large. The construction is one of five major projects the district currently has in the oven. The district-wide renovations are part of a master plan put forward in 2018 to address the problem of aging facilities. A 2018 news article reports the average age of district facilities as 63.

“This new school will be a gamechanger for this neighborhood,” said Cranston Mayor Ken Hopkins at the groundbreaking ceremony. “It will make Cranston more appealing for more and existing families to come to this area for decades to come. Preparing our students for the rest of their lives has never been more exciting than it is right now.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • FAU Starts Construction on Holocaust and Jewish Studies Building

    Florida Atlantic University recently began construction on a new academic building for its campus in Boca Raton, Fla., according to university news. The Kurt and Marilyn Wallach Holocaust and Jewish Studies Building will stand two stories, measure in at 22,000 square feet, and play home to the university’s Holocaust education and Jewish studies programs.

  • University of Kansas Opens $400M Football Stadium Reconstruction

    The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., recently announced that the $400-million reconstruction of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium is complete in time for the 2025 football season, according to a news release. The university partnered with Turner Construction Company on the project.

  • Zurn Releases New Ductile Iron Frame Trench Drain System

    Zurn Elkay Water Solutions recently released the newest addition to its Train Drench portfolio, the Ductile Iron Frame Trench Drain System, according to a news release. The product is designed for heavy-duty applications like airports, military, universities, and more.

  • California Boarding School Opens New Inquiry Collaborative Facility

    Cate School, a boarding school in Carpinteria, Calif., for students grades 9–12, recently announced that it has finished renovating a historic dining hall into a new academic hub, according to a news release. The school partnered with Blackbird Architects and Tangram Interiors on the two-story, 16,000-square-foot Inquiry Collaborative.