Aragon Construction is set to begin work on a new home for the Mandell School at the Chetrit Group's Columbus Square development on the Upper West Side early next year. The 50,000-square-foot school will accommodate up to 650 students through the eighth grade and occupy Columbus Square's entire second floor, as well as parts of the ground floor and basement. The school was designed by New York City-based J.R.S. Architects, Inc. and, although it's unclear whether the project will formally obtain LEED certification, it has been designed with a number of sustainable design features, including recycled-content rubber flooring, efficient lighting, occupancy sensors, and daylight harvesting, as well as recycled-content interior wood paneling. The school will also offer students an 8000-square-foot outdoor terrace. The school's new location at Columbus Square will consolidate three existing locations across the Upper West Side; images below are of an earlier 9000-square-foot project also executed by J.R.S. Architects for the school. Columbus Square itself is a 320,000-square-foot, three-building development on Columbus Avenue between West 97th and West 100th Streets.
