Empowering Students to Face The Future With Confidence
We were proud to design an all-new campus for the K-12 program at Atlantis Charter School, whose mission it is to provide an education yielding academic excellence and life-long learning skills. In addition to a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum, Atlantis offers five school-to-career academies that are the centerpiece of the upper school’s platform. Our task was to create a brand new facility for inspired learning, creative thinking, and real-world experiences to empower a 21st century workforce with the knowledge and skills necessary for success.
Based on the feasibility study, and a participatory programming and visioning process, Studio G’s design for the new school building includes three wings:
- a Lower School wing for Grades K-6
- an Upper School wing for Grades 7-12
- a Gymnasium wing shared by all students
The new campus features a central, landscaped courtyard, regulation-sized athletic fields, and a track.
Location
Fall River, MA
Client
Atlantis Charter School
Size / Area
94,000 SF
Certifications
LEED Silver Certifiable
Students
1,400
Grades
K-12
Flexible Spaces Provide Options For All
Flexibly designed cafeterias double as eating and recreation spaces. The Lower School includes an Art room as well as a Music room that can open into the adjoining cafeteria to create a large, vibrant performance venue. The Lower School playground includes separate areas for older and younger children.
The two-story volume of the Upper School cafeteria is set up for presentations with a designated projection wall. Stadium stairs alongside the cafeteria are used for casual student gatherings. Benches positioned in the hallways provide a “cool down” spot and facilitate informal student/teacher interactions.
“Studio G stretched an already limited budget to create a beautiful learning environment for even less than we anticipated. The new school gives our students the educational and recreational space they deserve, and it will serve them for years to come.”
– Robert Beatty, Executive Director (from press release)
Career Academies Take Center Stage
The Upper School’s innovative ‘Career Academy’ serves as the school’s organizational and operational career development platform. It allows each student to sample five career tracks and develop expertise in a chosen field during their senior year. Our design features dedicated resource rooms for vocational tracks in:
- Med/Tech
- STEM
- Business and Entrepreneurship
- Teacher Training
- Art/Culture/Design
These Academy rooms and a cafeteria are the centerpiece of the Upper School, with storefront windows for learning on display and views to the entrance and the courtyard.
Exteriors Inspired by the Environment
Our architectural design takes inspiration from the rocky site and ledge outcroppings that overlook the scenic reservoir. The new building is clad with gray ground-face concrete blocks in patterns reminiscent of geological strata, with colorful metal accents to provide a welcoming entrance for students, staff, and visitors.
