Hopkins School, a private college-preparatory day school in New Haven serving students in grades 7 through 12, is seeking approval to build a 35,137-square-foot academic building that would expand its research, robotics and technology programs.
The Gibbs Center for Innovation is scheduled for a public hearing before the New Haven City Plan Commission on July 15. The proposed building would be constructed on about 2.7 acres at the southern end of the school’s 101-acre campus at 986 Forest Road, replacing a lawn area and temporary parking lot. Founded in 1660, Hopkins enrolls about 724 students and is the nation’s third-oldest independent school.
According to the application, the building would include a 2,500-square-foot research center for the school’s Hopkins Authentic Research Program in Science, an expanded robotics competition studio, computer science classrooms, engineering and fabrication space, a digital media production studio, a centralized learning center, flexible classrooms and a 360-degree immersive theater.
The project will be funded by a $50 million gift from cable television billionaire and Hopkins alum John Malone. The gift represents the largest donation in the school’s history, according to Hopkins. The center is named for scientist and Hopkins alumnus Josiah Willard Gibbs, Class of 1854.
The building would incorporate sustainability features including a geothermal heating and cooling system, rooftop solar panels, LED lighting, energy-efficient mechanical systems and native landscaping.
