There was a lot of fanfare—school band included—and brilliant blue skies on Wednesday as New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Mayor Cory Booker cut the ribbon to celebrate the opening of Newark native Richard Meier’s first project in his hometown. The first phase of an ambitious 14-block, mixed-use development called Teachers Village, for which Richard Meier & Partners Architects (RMPA) developed the master plan, the building houses two charter schools with interiors designed by the Princeton-based KSS Architects, and includes a gymnasium and fitness center that will eventually be open to the community. A second new school building across the street, designed by KSS, accommodates an additional charter middle school, in operation since late August, as well as a spacious daycare center and pre-school, scheduled to open in the near future.
The brainchild of developer Ron Beit, CEO of the Newark-based RBH Group, Teachers Village is located on a site previously occupied by vacant parking lots and dilapidated commercial buildings, a short walk from the city’s downtown business district, Newark’s Penn Station, the Prudential Center, and numerous universities. A unique neighborhood revitalization program, the project aims to create a nucleus of 24/7 activity around the four educational and childcare facilities for 1,000 children, with 200 units of workforce housing, for all Newark teachers (under construction), and a lively mix of street-side retail establishments to be run by local entrepreneurs in its eight buildings. It is one of the first developments in the country to pursue the LEED Neighborhood Development (ND) designation, meaning that it aims to realize principles of smart growth and urbanism, in addition to green building practices.
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