Fitting in can be hard at school. What’s true for students applies as well to the school itself, especially if it’s a growing K—8 academy in a mixed-use building in Queens, the most culturally diverse borough of New York City. Occupying two-and-a-half floors in the base of a building that a developer had already erected, Central Queens Academy (CQA) had to work within the constraints of a structure originally envisioned as offices or retail space with 15 stories of apartments above.

Hallway view with a commons on the right. Individual classrooms entrances are distinguished with bold splashes of color and a strip light. Photo © Here and Now Agency/Paul Vu, click to enlarge.