nashoba brooks school

The project for this Pre-K-8 school involved the construction of three facilities on a very modest budget and a difficult site. Construction was phased as part of an evolving master plan, which coordinated the merger and consolidation of two schools onto one reintegrated campus. Phase one involved the renovation and expansion of the lower school. In phase two, a new library/science and administration building was linked directly to the lower school. Phase three included construction of a new freestanding gymnasium with a mezzanine that doubles as a spectator viewing area overlooking the gym.

The front of the gym encloses a new courtyard at the heart of the school’s campus. The school’s interior is designed in a metaphorical manner that is meant to feel familiar to young children, while fostering a sense of community. The school, in this sense, is really a “neighborhood” for learning in which the corridors represent “streets” with “lampposts” for lights and flanking clapboard sided “homes.” The scale, location, and design of these three buildings creates gracious areas for pickup, drop-off, and parking, as well as safer, better defined, and more appropriately located play areas and outdoor gathering spaces. As a result, the school feels integrated, organized, nurturing, and welcoming.