PS 347X is a new annex adjacent to the PS 33 Timothy Dwight school in the Bronx. The 338-seat school reduces overcrowding in the existing school by adding 23 instructional spaces for Pre-K through 2nd Grade. Additional program spaces include a cafeteria, library, and exercise room. A generous playground will be completed in 2022.

The building is concrete frame construction with concrete enclosed stairways favored by the SCA at this time. Exterior cladding is made up of fiber cement rainscreen panels, in lieu of conventional cavity wall with face brick, selected for minimal load imposed on the structure, speed of erection and to contrast with the traditional construction of the existing school. A Public Art for Public Schools project animates the lobby.

A particular challenge with the project was to respect the beauty of the early 1900’s collegiate gothic structure, designed by noted architect of the time Charles B.J. Snyder. The goal was two structures in harmony with one another. Equally important was to acknowledge the +-110 year evolution in construction technology and aesthetics prevalent today. Because PS 347X is placed less that 50 feet from the elevated subway tracks, playful brightly colored window frames are visible to subway riders as they speed by in both directions.