Martin Hopp Architect puts generosity over spectacle at mass-timber school in New York
New York City studio Martin Hopp Architect has completed a building with a mass-timber structure for a school in Hempstead, New York, prioritising healthy living spaces and materials on a tight budget.
Evergreen Charter School opened in 2025 on a suburban site on Long Island in New York state. The K-12 school comprises 89,000 square feet (8,270 square metres) of conditioned space and 106,000 square feet (9,850 square metres) of non-conditioned space and prioritises healthy, resilient learning environments.
"From the outset, we focused on creating high-performance spaces filled with daylight, fresh air and natural materials – environments that would actively support students' wellbeing and concentration," said studio founder Martin Hopp.
"With a very limited budget, we made a deliberate decision to pursue a 'most from least' approach."
The studio invested in performance with a mass timber structure, efficient systems, durable materials and flexible classrooms that can change over time to meet the school's needs.
"The ambition was not spectacle, but generosity – to demonstrate that even under tight constraints, a school building can be uplifting, responsible and deeply supportive of learning," Hopp said.
The limited footprint prompted the team to divide the building into two volumes with a slot carved through the massing that allows daylight to reach deep into the plan.
The circulation spine aligns with the junction of the two volumes, allowing cross views across the five floors.
"In this way, the layout balances efficiency with environmental performance," the studio said.
"The compact footprint maximizes usable space on the site, while the split massing strategy prioritizes daylight, ventilation and a strong sense of spatial organization for students and staff."
The whole school was designed around a classroom model that prioritised natural light, acoustics, thermal comfort and indoor air quality.
In addition to the structure that reduces the building's embodied carbon, mass timber is used throughout the entire building as the finish material, adding warmth, texture, and visual calm to the environment.
On the exterior, timber shading devices run in long fins up the primary facade, providing a warm, natural contrast to the grey cementitious panels. Above the upper enclosed floor, a timber pergola topped with solar arrays shades the rooftop soccer pitch.
Inside, the ceilings of the classrooms, gymnasium and cafeteria are partially exposed mass timber, while acoustic ceiling panels help maintain noise levels.
The project is tracking toward LEED Platinum certification with a range of passive and active sustainability strategies.
"Together, these passive and active systems reinforce the project's core ambition," the studio said. "To create a high-performance learning environment that reduces operational costs while supporting student health and environmental awareness."
Mass timber architecture has spread to education architecture over the last several years with projects like the University of Arkansas' architecture and design school by Grafton Architects, a treehouse-like social hub at Harvard University by Studio Gang and a lantern-like research centre for the University of Toronto by Montgomery Sisam Architects.
The photography is by Frank Oudeman.
Project credits:
Architect: Martin Hopp Architect
Structural, MEP, sustainability: WSP USA Buildings Inc.
Exterior enclosure: Entuitive
Acoustics: Cerami
Lighting: Lighting Beyond
Food service: Corsi
Civil engineering and geotechnical services: Langan
Landscape design: Martin Hopp Architect
Plant selection: Hortus Inc.
Specifications: Geoffrey Turner and Misty Gonzalez
Irrigation: Hines Inc.
Construction management: Consigli Construction
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