Bassick High School
This 205,000 SF, state-of-the-art education facility co-locates the old Bassick High and the Bridgeport Military Academy on a new, 10-acre site at the edge of the University of Bridgeport campus—and within a high-risk coastal flood zone.
DeSimone designed an efficient steel structure for the new Bassick High School that supports three staggered upper levels that optimize sweeping panoramic views of Seaside Park and the Long Island Sound, a rich variety of program spaces, and a glass and precast concrete façade that references Beaux Arts design elements from the original school’s 1929 façade.
| Client | Bridgeport Public Schools |
|---|---|
| Architect: | Perkins Eastman |
| Size | 4 Stories | 205,000 SF (19,000 SM) |
| Sustainability | LEED Silver BD&C Schools Target |
| Office: | New Haven |
| Completion: | 2025 |
Our team resolved a number of design challenges, including elevating the first floor of the building one full story to withstand 25-year floods, the site’s smaller size compared to the original, and the need to protect the school from sea-level rise and severe weather events with a 14-foot-high coastal flood defense wall and berm that runs through the property as part of a State-provided flood resilience plan.
The school serves 1,320 students, and features public spaces, auditorium, cafeteria, and gym on the ground floor. The upper levels include 48 classrooms—10 reserved for 300 Academy cadets—labs, art studio, media center, integrated career and trade workspaces for advanced manufacturing and aeronautical technology, and more. A dedicated automotive shop was engineered to meet demanding ventilation and lifting requirements.
Sustainable design strategies include the specification of high performance, 100% recycled, post-consumer glass pozzolan for the foundation and slab-on-grade concrete. Crushed masonry harvested from the demolition of dorms previously on the site was used to elevate the site’s soil grade above the 500-year floodplain.
