A Wall and Two Halls
Ithaca City School District
Large Group Instruction Redesign
THIS IS THE BANNER IMAGE - MAKE SURE #banner APPEARS IN THE LINK
A 1960‘s era 250-seat lecture hall in the core of Ithaca High School was no longer an effective use of space sixty years later. Instead, the District required flexible spaces for 60-80 people, equipped to support staff meetings, professional development and mid-sized groups of students.
The convergence of programmatic need and spatial opportunity was recognized by Tetra Tech, resulting in a design solution that divides a windowless internal lecture hall into two divergent spaces that work together. A new wall separates upper and lower halls, hosting seating alcoves and a ribbon window with switchable glass. The A/V system allows either independent or coordinated operation of the two spaces, increasing flexibility while still accommodating occasional larger events. The design is inspired by a popular waterfall within earshot of the building.
The lower hall now hosts the District’s Board meetings, small musical performances, and lecture style presentations with an 18’ LED screen and a refreshed tiered seating arrangement. The lowest floor level is raised, allowing updated power and data to service in an expanded area that is still many feet below the adjacent Fall Creek and Lake Cayuga. A new lift and stairs improve accessibility to this now public space.
The upper space is accessed from the surrounding hallways, with a new infilled slab and solar tubes. Distributed wall mounted screens and movable furniture facilitate various arrangements for meetings, presentations, study hall, and small group work.
Multipurpose spaces of varying size and arrangement take pressure off densely scheduled performance, meeting, and teaching spaces to find new opportunities amidst the evolving functional demands of modern schools.