Situated on the lot of a vacant CBJ Snyder school, P.S. 64, this project is an expanded space where play blurs the line of trespassing. Sponge introduces a heavy carved space which plays a key role in shaping the experience of moving to differently programmed areas. The intervention works within the legs of the original H-plan of the school to thicken the wall. It is a sponge to the school because it contains and reveals programs within its mass, absorbing and releasing at different moments in the building. The walls contain tight stairs and are connected by bridges so that students can travel the entire school without ever having to leave the Sponge. It is a threshold between static, quiet, and private programs to more active and collective spaces. Along the route, the earthen walls become plush, bouncy, or fuzzy, activating your senses for the next activity while also giving way to exposing moments throughout the school, flipping the inner workings of learning inside out.
