September 2026 High-Profile Focus: Schools and Institutions 19
Finegold Alexander Completes Gladstone Elementary School in Cranston
Cranston, RI— Finegold Alexander Architects has completed the new Gladstone Elementary School, which will open with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Sept. 17. The firm will join the City of Cranston, Cranston Public Schools, Gilbane Building Company, Jacobs Owner’ s Project Management, students, educators, and community members to celebrate the completion of the school.
The celebration will include remarks from superintendent Jeannine Nota- Masse, principal Amy Vacholn, mayor Ken Hopkins, and school committee member Domenic Fusco. The event will also offer tours of the school, giving the community an opportunity to experience it firsthand.
Finegold Alexander worked closely with the City of Cranston and Cranston Public Schools for the past three years to design the 100,000sf school, replacing the 1950s-era building and consolidating the former Gladstone and Arlington Elementary Schools. Serving students in grades K-5, Gladstone is the third and final elementary school transformation in the district to embrace an innovative educational model that shifts the focus from traditional, individualized classrooms toward a community-based, collaborative approach to teaching and learning.
“ Seeing Gladstone come to life after years of collaboration with the City,
Curiosity Center
educators, students, and the greater Cranston community is incredibly rewarding,” said Regan Shields Ives, AIA, LEED AP, principal at Finegold Alexander Architects.“ The ribbon cutting is an opportunity to celebrate not only a new building, but a school shaped around how students learn, connect, and grow. We are thrilled to see students make these spaces their own.”
Developed in collaboration with Fielding International as the educational planner, the design approach to Gladstone
Gladstone Elementary School
Signage with student artwork
reimagines the traditional elementary school. Rather than organizing classrooms along a central corridor, the school is organized into six learning communities, clusters of interconnected spaces designed to support different modes of learning throughout the school day.
Each Learning Community includes a learning commons, learning studios, active lab, teacher collaboration workroom, and small group rooms, giving students and educators the flexibility to move seamlessly between individual learning, small-group instruction, handson activities, and larger collaborative opportunities throughout the day.
“ At Gladstone, we wanted the building itself to become a teaching and learning tool,” said Christopher Lane, AIA, principal at Finegold Alexander Architects.“ By moving away from traditional corridors and classroom layouts, we were able to make every part of the building purposeful. The spaces are designed to support the educational experience, encourage interaction, and give students more opportunities to learn in different ways.”
The design also extends learning beyond the walls of the building. Multiple outdoor learning environments, including outdoor classrooms, playgrounds, and gardens, provide opportunities for students to connect with nature, learn through hands-on experiences, and bring classroom activities outdoors.
Student involvement was an important part of the design process. Building upon a project-based learning exercise entitled“ Radiating Respect,” the guiding principle for the building’ s design was a tree that grows through the school, with each floor representing a part of the journey from the forest floor to the skyline above the tree canopy. Student creativity is woven throughout the building, with student artwork integrated into building graphics and signage. www. high-profile. com