Harlem children's zone offers a safe space for city children.

There's a movement--a social force and a non-profit entity--in Harlem called the Harlem Children's Zone.

The brainchild of Geoffrey Canada, its president and CEO, this is a 60-block area that has been singled out as a place where the safety net will be too tightly woven for any child to fall through.

That means that all the services and community support that can be built into a child's life--prenatal and parent support, pre-school, family medical management, social services, after-school programs, health screening--are actively tied together via a network of programming at churches, schools, hospitals, clinics, almost down to the level of street corners.

The Promise Academy is a New York City public charter school within the Harlem Children's Zone area. It occupies a new, 92,000 s/f building on the corner of Madison Avenue and 125th Street, funded by HCZ. Designed by Davis Brody Bond, it provides four stories of classroom space for students in the K through 8th grade, and has an extremely unusual facility on the 5th floor.

A medical facility, a place to see doctors and dentists inside a school building: it's a no-brainer, and it exists at The Promise Academy. The 3,600 s/f space is designed by Guenther 5 Architects and administered by The Children's Health Fund (in collaboration with the Harlem Children's Health Project, the Harlem Children's Zone, and the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University)..

The clinic is used by the students of the Promise Academy and their families. For the students, care is onsite; they receive primary care during the day and after school, including medical assessments, dental services, referrals and education and outreach services.

Guenther 5's design for the program--including student workshop areas, interactive computer and display technology, teaching and conference spaces, medical and dental examination and consultation rooms, as well as social work and mental health resources--supports a holistic approach to health.

A wall of graphics by Studio Z enhance the interior design and animates the space, particularly at the entry; it is a collage of some of the great and famous personalities of both Harlem and African American history.

With great south and north views along 125th Street, Guenther 5 designed the space to deliver care to the whole patient--the mind as well as the body--and to foster an understanding of the relationship between health and our environment. Generous amounts of natural light and sunshine, healthy materials and access to information all contribute to promoting a better understanding, for the kids, of the ways in which good health is created, nourished and maintained. Accordingly, the center's design has environmental considerations and sustainability as priorities.

Jason Harper, a principal at Guenther 5 and the project's architect, said, "We designed a healthy, healing, empowering space, which met HCHP's goals. As is standard at G5, we selected building materials with sustainability as a prime criteria."

Wherever possible, rapidly-renewable natural materials, i.e., with a growth and harvest cycle of less than ten years, were utilized. This includes bamboo and linoleum flooring, glass and ceramic tile used in various locations, and regional indigenous hardwood doors and millwork. Metal finishes specified are fully recyclable. The ceiling tiles have a high recycled material content and are themselves recyclable.

In order to minimize indoor air pollutants, low--VOC (volatile organic compounds) adhesives and paints were specified. The finish surfaces require no polishes or waxing, and are maintainable using low-toxicity cleaning products.

As part of a commitment to prevention, the materials at the center contain and produce no known or suspected carcinogens throughout their life span--there is no urea-formaldehyde in insulation or wood products, virtually no vinyl (which often contains phthalate plasticizers and is believed to contribute to dioxin formation in its manufacture or when burned). The specified carpeting utilizes non-PVC backing, is low-VOC, and is fully recyclable. Small sections of carpet tile may be easily replaced, significantly improving the lifecycle of the overall installation.

Guenther 5 maximized the use of natural daylight with both north and south light.

The light fixtures specified utilize T5, T8, or compact fluorescent lamping, are controlled using occupancy sensors, and will use much less energy than traditional bulbs over the life of the project.

Virtually all of these design, building and spec-ing strategies are elements that Guenther 5 always maintains in its work; for this reason, they are increasingly receiving national recognition and inquiries for new projects in other states.

JASON HARPER, AIA PRINCIPAL, GUENTHER5 ARCHITECTS