Cathedral School for Boys
Play Yard and Gym
One challenge urban schools face is lack of outdoor space. The Cathedral School for Boys, a K-8 primary and middle school in the heart of San Francisco is especially constrained as part of the Grace Cathedral Close, a full-block historic landmark. The school’s gym is actually in the crypt of the Cathedral! And the play yard for the whole school is the roof of the school itself.
The only on-site possibility for a new gym is on top of the school. After exploring various options for a gym covering the entire school footprint with a play yard on top, a board member wondered if the gym could in fact double as the play yard. This idea addressed a number of issues, not the least of which is keeping soccer balls from rolling down the street when kicked over the fence.
The design evolved into a glass box covering the new play yard – gym. The steel structure supporting the roof will be threaded through the existing concrete structure at the corners for minimal disruption. The sleek glass walls will be inserted within the confines of the newly installed play yard fence acting as a transition between the concrete below and the glass above. The new gossamer envelope will afford filtered views of the cathedral from the uppermost corner of the Cathedral Close.