Cranston, RI – Finegold Alexander Architects announced it celebrated the groundbreaking of the new ground-up Gladstone Elementary School on July 20.
Cranston Superintendent of Schools Jeannine Nota-Masse; Mayor Kenneth Hopkins; School Committee Chairperson, Citywide, Michael Traficante; School Committee Clerk Domenic Fusco; Cranston City Council Representative John Donegan; and RI Dept. of Education’s Director of the School Building Authority, Mario Carreno, spoke at the event, as well as the Gladstone administrative team, Principal Amy Vachon and Assistant Principal Amy Corso-Latos.
Finegold Alexander has worked closely with the City of Cranston and Cranston Public Schools to design the new 100,000sf facility that will consolidate both Gladstone and Arlington Elementary Schools, educating roughly 798 students in grades K-5. The design focuses on reinventing the learning environment in an innovative way.
Rather than lining classrooms along a central corridor, the building will be arranged with six Learning Communities within 3+ stories. Learning Communities are each designed as single suites of interconnected rooms. Curiosity Centers with purpose-built music, art, library, and maker spaces serve to connect the Learning Communities on each floor. On the first floor, the social heart and cafetorium will be designed to serve as a safe and secure space for the community. Gathering platforms will be located within the building, offering opportunities for informal seating and social interactions for students, teachers, and parents.
Learning extends beyond the building enclosure to the larger site. Three outdoor learning areas, multiple playgrounds, playing fields, and a community garden are designed to encourage outdoor activities. Finegold Alexander’s design will create a compact building footprint and promote energy efficiency, leveraging the existing site topography, and optimize the building’s solar orientation to maximize natural daylight and views for both educators and students.
The project is projected to be completed in the summer of 2025.
