The Chicago Athenaeum BACK TO HOMEPAGE >
American Arch.
The Masters School Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center | Dobbs Ferry, New York | 2023

Honorable Mention: American Architecture Awards 2024
The Masters School Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center | Dobbs Ferry, New York | 2023


Architects: Marvel Architects, Landscape Architects, Urban Designers PLLC.
Lead Architect: Jonathan Marvel
Design Team: Jennifer Olson, Magnus Westergren, Ana Cubillos, Caroline Frantz, Jonathan Marvel, Lissa So, Chit Yee Ng, Tyler Silvestro, and Zeyi Jiang
General Contractor: Yorke Construction Company
Client: The Masters School
Photographers: Joshua Simpson


The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (IEC) at Masters School is a cutting-edge facility dedicated to STEM-focused education. The architectural design seamlessly blends contemporary elements with the historic campus language. Organized along the same principle as the School's Harkness Method of collaborative nonhierarchical instruction, the IEC embodies the client's ethos of discovery and cross-disciplinary learning, creating an agile, future-proofed structure that will contribute to the educational experience for many years to come.

The building architecture is designed to foster curiosity and discovery 's two core values inherent to the school's Innovation and Entrepreneurship curriculum. Strategically located equidistant from various sides of the campus, the IEC boasts two equally appealing front entrances. The building's design not only aligns harmoniously with the siting of the other historic structures on campus, but its materiality is also a deliberate contemporary engagement with the natural and manmade architectural fabric of the campus's past.

Located downhill of the campus sloping terrain, the building is nestled into the existing slope minimizing the site disruption and excavation depth to install all building foundations. Sustainable stormwater management features actively redirect, capture and slow the movement of rainwater. Planted swales direct building and site storm runoff to a bioretention area with native trees, shrubs, and grasses selected for their native characteristics of tolerating heavy rain, standing water, and occasional periods of drought.

Salvaged granite stones from the Charlestown Bridge form seating and retaining walls around the landscape, creating opportunities for exploration and contemplation. Functioning as more than a lab, the IEC serves as a social nexus, encompassing tech learning spaces, wood and metal shops, a laser, a 3D print room, and inviting lounge areas. It centralizes STEM learning, showcasing student achievements to the public. Unique entry vantage points offer views through the central atrium, aiding orientation and sparking interest. The heart of the IEC is the central 3-story atrium, known as the 'Innovation Lounge,' a space meant to facilitate community gatherings and discussions.

All program elements are strategically arranged around this space, emphasizing curiosity, and fostering a collaborative environment. The program organization maximizes connections between interior and exterior, promoting shared use of technical spaces and encouraging interdisciplinary interactions. Occupant well-being is prioritized with interior design decisions. Spatial variety and acoustic dampening wall materials create multiple environments conducive for group work and individual concentration. A strategy of exposed structural, mechanical, electrical and fire protection systems allow the building to serve as an educational tool for its users, while saving on architecture materials typically used to conceal all system items.

The durable structure, with its hardy zinc cladding, is built to last. The cladding will be installed in its natural unfinished state, and naturally patina over time to become a duller grey that will contrast with the patinaed cladding and trims on adjacent campus buildings. Bird protective glazing ensures safety for flying wildlife. Representing Masters School's commitment to evolving education, the IEC is conceived for adaptability. Adjustable spaces, flexible furniture, and expandable IT and AV infrastructure cater to ever-changing technological needs. Enhanced ventilation accommodates technical equipment adjustments, and the structure is ready for sustainable upgrades, such as solar panels. The IEC embodies a forward-looking educational environment, ensuring its relevance for the future.


The Masters School Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center | Dobbs Ferry, New York | 2023
The Masters School Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center | Dobbs Ferry, New York | 2023

The Masters School Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center | Dobbs Ferry, New York | 2023

BACK TO LIST
American Architecture
The Chicago Athenaeum | 601 South Prospect Street
Galena, Illinois 61036, USA | Tel: 815/777-4444 | Fax: 815/777-2471
E-mail: curatorial@chicagoathenaeum.org