KSS Architects completes AMY at James Martin School

PHILADELPHIA, PA — KSS Architects announced the completion of the new Alternative Middle Years (AMY) at James Martin Middle School, a transformational project redefining education in the Port Richmond community of Philadelphia. Designed for 21st-century learning and to meet LEED Gold standards, the 88,000 s/f school is a welcoming space that emphasizes natural light, sustainability, and a connection to the outdoors. The four-story facility serves as a vertical learning neighborhood that showcases innovative architecture, and inspires scholastic excellence while encouraging and fostering community connections.

Architecturally, the new AMY at James Martin’s modern brick façade plays with texture and patterns while embracing the neighborhood’s material palette. At street level, traditional asphalt is replaced with sustainable landscaping, reducing stormwater runoff, and play spaces. The outdoor yard, specifically designed for middle school students, offers a variety of playing, gathering, and learning areas.

The green roof blurs the boundaries between learning and playing with seasonal plantings complementing interior color palettes, an outdoor chalkboard, and flexible seating to encourage collaborative creativity. Visible from classrooms, adding a biophilic element, the green roof also contributes to stormwater collection. The pollinator habitats and an edible garden bed support nutritional and environmental education. As a nod to the school’s longstanding history in the community, salvaged stone from the original structure was thoughtfully incorporated into seating areas, and the original school plaque is featured at the main entrance.

The lobby of AMY at James Martin opens to the dining commons, where natural light permeates the space and offers sweeping views of the play yard and landscape. The state-of-the-art classrooms are organized in learning neighborhoods that promote connection between students and faculty. Stacked vertically, the learning neighborhoods enable students to navigate independently and ease transitions for neurodivergent students. Specialty art, science, and technology labs flank community-facing areas, encouraging hands-on learning and transparency. By providing physical and visual connections throughout the specialty spaces, everyone feels connected. Respite and Restoration rooms are dedicated spaces that offer students and staff a chance to take breaks and recharge. All materials used throughout the interior space of the school are low or no-VOCs for premium air quality, while acoustical elements minimize noise to promote concentration, and natural daylighting reduces artificial light, and improves student and staff wellness.

“Completing AMY at James Martin has allowed our team to deliver a student-centered learning environment aligned with the District’s vision for 21st Learning,” said Mayva Donnon, AIA, LEED AP, partner at KSS Architects. “We are honored to have partnered with Mosaic, Daniel J. Keating Company, The School District of Philadelphia, and the Port Richmond community to create a healthy, inspiring environment where innovation and curiosity can flourish.”

The completion of AMY at James Martin marks a historic investment in Philadelphia’s educational infrastructure, supporting accelerated learning that aligns with the School District’s strategic vision. The project emphasizes equity and signals a commitment to environments where all students, staff, and families can thrive.

“AMY at James Martin represents what is possible when partnership, purpose, and community come together. Mosaic Development Partners JV is proud to have collaborated with the School District of Philadelphia, KSS Architects, Moody Nolan, Daniel J. Keating Company, and our Port Richmond neighbors to deliver a school that reflects the needs and aspirations of its students. This project is more than a building. It is an investment in opportunity and in the futures of the young people who will learn, grow, and lead here for generations,” said Maria Sourbeer, Executive Vice President of Mosaic Development Partners JV.

“The new AMY at James Martin school is more than just a building; it is a testament of our commitment to creating equitable, high-quality learning environments in Philadelphia for students,” said Tony B. Watlington, Sr., Ed.D., superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia. “As we continue on our path to becoming the fastest improving, large urban school district in the country, we want our facilities to support our students and maximize learning. AMY at James Martin provides natural light through large windows, collaborative spaces, and classroom furniture to fit a range of student needs. I look forward to visiting this space when it is filled with students and I cannot wait to see the great things our students will accomplish here.”