School Re-Opening Toolkit
Cultural
Case Study
The School Reopening Toolkit, developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, was designed through a mire of countless, unprecedented challenges. We worked with local elementary schools in Brooklyn to develop operational strategies, from wayfinding suggestions to safety measures, to help get learners and educators safely back in the classroom, and entire communities back on their feet.
Initiated through the lens of architecture, we spoke with teachers, administrators, parents, and students to fully understand their concerns and needs. Our Toolkits ultimately provided each school with a clearly designed, legible operational standard. The content prioritized uncomplicated infographics, which conveyed critical information like revised entrance and egress strategies, a graphics package for proper signage, 6-feet-apart classroom-specific desk configurations, and other guidelines for teachers, families, and staff.
In this project, we confronted site-specific constraints like undersized railroad-style classrooms, alongside intangible ones, such as the emotional complexity of the pandemic. We made our Toolkits available to the entire community, creating a transparent system of communication that helped Title I schools in Brooklyn reopen safely and soundly.
