Organized by Chief Administrative Officer Eizelle Taino P’23 P’26 P’28 P’29 and Chief Financial Officer Genevieve Madigan, the three-day course introduced students to the world of architecture, engineering, design, and construction. Using the future athletics facility as inspiration, students learned how a major building project moves from early vision to finished space, while meeting some of the professionals helping bring the project to life.

The course began at the 92nd Street Schoolhouse, where students explored how designers generate ideas and how buildings and neighborhoods can reflect a sense of community. From there, they traveled to the 108th Street project site and visited an active construction site at the Apollo Theater, gaining a firsthand view of the coordination, planning, and problem-solving required to bring a building to life. The minimester concluded at the SoHo offices of STUDIOS Architecture, the firm designing Nightingale’s facility, where students continued developing their own ideas and saw how early design sketches evolve into real places.

“Using our athletics facility as inspiration, students discovered how architects ask questions, solve problems, and think deeply about community,” said Ms. Taino. “It was a wonderful opportunity for them to see that design is not only about buildings, but about the people who will use them.”

For students, the experience revealed just how much work happens behind the scenes before a space is complete.

“Construction is not just the final physical buildings we see in the city…[we] learned more about the different pipes inside the walls and how many parts are hidden from view. We learned about how architects and engineers use many 3D models and websites to see how the different pipes, construction, and design pieces work together. After visiting the new construction site, I gained knowledge on what goes on behind the scenes and how long and strenuous the process for building is! I loved being able to see what was going on in my school and the blueprints and models. We were also able to see a rendering of what the building will look like when it’s done. I’m so excited for this new athletics building and I hope that students next year will also be able to participate in this minimester when the project is farther along,” said Siobhan Y. ’31.

The minimester also made the athletics facility feel more immediate and more personal. Students were able to connect the renderings they had seen with the real work underway at the site, gaining a clearer understanding of the many stages required before a finished building can open its doors.

“Our trip to the new athletics facility construction site was such an exciting experience! It made me feel proud to be a part of this community and to be a Nightingale student. I’m especially looking forward to how the new athletics facility will bring everyone at Nightingale together and create new opportunities for girls’ sports in the near future,” said Makensie S. ’30.

That sense of possibility was central to the course. By leveraging Nightingale’s relationships with the architects, construction managers, and project partners helping to build the new facility, Building Empowerment gave students access to fields where creativity, technical skill, collaboration, and leadership come together. It also introduced them to careers in architecture, engineering, construction, and design, where seeing the work up close can be an important first step toward imagining oneself in the field.

The future athletics facility will create new space for athletics, wellness, physical education, and community. Through Building Empowerment, students had the opportunity to look beyond the renderings and construction updates and see the project through the eyes of the architects, engineers, builders, and school leaders helping bring it to life.

Show PrevShow Next