Comprehensive Study Reveals Optimal Solution
Having worked with Excel Academy on the design of the Excel Academy Charter High School, we were fortunate to be able to apply our deep understanding of the school’s educational approach, curriculum, inclusive education, and community culture to design the new middle school.
Our team, together with multiple stakeholders, conducted a high-level study of potential sites and program test fits to evaluate a number of options for renovation, addition, and new construction. Ultimately, the study showed that a new construction middle school on their Bremen Street campus in East Boston made the most sense in meeting educational program, financial, and operational needs.
Location
East Boston, MA
Client
Excel Academy Charter Schools
Size / Area
19,200 SF
Certifications
LEED Silver Certifiable
Students
230
Grades
5-8
A Creative Approach Creates a Cohesive Campus
A key objective for this project, situated on a tight urban site, was to create a cohesive academic campus with the Excel Academy Charter High School while maintaining the school’s existing parking area. Always up for a challenge, our team designed the new 3-story Excel Academy Greenway above the parking lot, using special structural welded frames that eliminated the need for cross-bracing, allowing maximum site circulation for vehicles and pedestrians. Adding to the complexity of this project was the need for construction to be completed while the adjacent high school was fully operational.
Thoughtful Design Enhances Urban Learning
Because the school is located in a loud urban setting — including the adjacent highway and Logan Airport — one of our priorities was to provide high-performance acoustic separation from the distractions outside. We used a polished face concrete block on the first floor exteriors for both durability and resilience. The upper two floors are clad with Morin metal panels in a mixture of textures and colors to differentiate the various sections of the building and provide a clear, designated entry. To reinforce the campus feel, we used a vibrant yellow and blue color scheme, a direct reference to the high school.
Elegant and Efficient Interiors Create Community
On the first floor, immediately off the entry, a community circle with storefront windows at each side provides a bright common space for grade-wide community meetings, large group instruction, or to accommodate the many students entering and exiting the building before and after school.
We visually connected this space to upper-floor classrooms via an open stair that winds around the elevator shaft. The same polished face concrete masonry block used on the exterior cladding was used to construct the elevator shaft and serves double duty as the structural support for the three-story shaft and the finish material that forms walls of the staircase. Students use the stairs to reach daylit classrooms and breakout spaces on the upper floors. We were pleased to design new offices, workrooms, meeting rooms, and an on-site childcare facility to support the school’s dedicated staff.
Flexibility for Future Needs
Overlooking the Boston skyline and curvilinear roofs of Boston Public Library’s East Boston branch, the 3rd floor STEAM classroom provides an economical, dynamic learning environment with a sink, storage wall, extra data and electrical outlets at perimeter walls, and ceiling-mounted electrical spools. We designed this classroom to provide maximum flexibility for future furniture and equipment layout changes as the school’s STEAM program evolves, further ensuring that each student has access to the best possible education today and tomorrow.
