Mount Laurel Campus

The Opportunity

For over 130 years, Bancroft has been a leader in breaking down boundaries for individuals with neurological challenges, autism, and intellectual and developmental disabilities. To progress its innovative continuum of care and to unlock each person’s full potential for lifelong learning and fulfillment, Bancroft relocated programs from its 16-acre Haddonfield campus to a new, 80-acre, 178,000-sf purpose-built campus in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. KSS planned and designed the campus, collaborating closely with multiple stakeholders and consultants to bring to fruition Bancroft’s holistic concept of creating, for each student and resident, a balance between comfort and personal growth and thoughtfully nurturing each child’s transitions in a nature-based, sensory-rich setting.

Our Approach

Serving 1,700 individuals with a focus on life skills and job training, the new campus provides state-of-the-art facilities for the Bancroft School, the Lindens, Transitional Housing, playgrounds, a therapy pool, and a commons building with cafeteria, convenience store, clinic and medical/dental center. Campus buildings are organized around a series of outdoor rooms which serve a variety of scales and purposes, linked by views and pathways. These buildings and a sensory trail form natural protective edges to the pedestrian campus, with vehicular traffic and parking located along the perimeter. The introduction of a commons building has been a key to the success of the campus through its creation of synergies between the education and housing programs and nodes of interaction with the local community.

PROGRAMING

Commons, integrated health center, classrooms, activity pool, early education and intervention, elementary school, high school, sensory space/therapy rooms, food service, gym/motor rooms, convenience store, welcome center, Lindens Crisis Housing, transitional step-down housing

Featured Articles

How Biophilic Design Helps Bancroft’s Autistic Students, School Construction News

The Bancroft School provides needed special education services, NJTV News

New Bancroft Campus repsonds to the challenges of autism through design, Building Design + Construction

Bancroft unveils new campus in Mount Laurel, Burlington County Times

Bancroft Commemorates Groundbreaking at 80-Acre Mt. Laurel Campus, NJPEN

Thankful mother helps Bancroft unveil plans for 80-acre campus in Mount Laurel, Philly Voice

Bancroft CEO says $75M Mount Laurel campus will be ‘destination of hope’, Philadelphia Business Journal

Bancroft works ground for new school, Courier Post

Awards

AIA New Jersey, Honor Award, 2019