BEDROOM 107 SF LIVING / DINING 139 SF
Middle School Projects
REF.
CL. 8 SF CL. Current and recent middle 10 SF school planning and design:
KITCHEN 104 SF
pre-K–8 School RSU #39 Providence, RI
ENTRY 94 SF
CL.
TLT. 54 SF
Brunswick Middle 4 SF School Brunswick, ME Windham Middle School Windham, ME
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
PDT Architects
Color Key Humanities & Math Science Arts Special Ed, Life Skills, and Adult Ed Cafeteria and Kitchen Gymnasium, FItness, Locker
Gorham Middle School GORHAM, MAINE
New construction 139,000 sf Grades 6-8, 900 students Construction cost $15.6M Geothermal bore field $593,000 Completed 2004 Gorham Middle School is the first school building in Maine to be entirely heated and air conditioned with a geothermal system–which circulates water through pipes deep in the ground to extract the earth’s heat. The system is estimated to save 30-40% of energy costs over conventional systems. To break down the 900-student population, each of the school’s three student houses is further divided into three teams of about 100 students. Each house has its own classrooms, open computer labs, and teacher preparation rooms, and is organized around a flexible commons area for project-based learning. MIDDLE SCHOOLS PDT Architects
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
PDT Architects
Reorganization and Addition Lake Region Middle School, MSAD #61 NAPLES, MAINE
Total project 26,500 sf Construction cost $2.48M Completed 1999 This older junior high school for 250 students was expanded and reorganized to become a middle school for 500 students. This locally funded project reorganized the major specialty spaces to support four houses. New science rooms, computer labs, and movable walls put an emphasis on flexibility for future programs. The design incorporates an empty 10,000-sf daylight basement that anticipates future expansion.
MIDDLE SCHOOLS PDT Architects
Sixth-Grade Buildout Lake Region Middle School, MSAD #61 NAPLES, MAINE
Daylight basement buildout 10,000 sf Completed 2008 The district’s plans had long called for moving the sixth grade to the daylight basement at the middle school when the elementary school population grew too large. In response to concerns about the sixth grade going to school with older students, the sixthgrade “wing” was conceived as its own unit, sharing only the library, cafeteria, and playfields with the rest of the school. Every classroom has extensive built-in storage, a SMART board, natural daylighting, and operable windows. Sophisticated lighting controls use sensors to adjust light levels and to save energy by turning off lights in unused spaces. Teachers are taking advantage of the bright color palette as a backdrop for displays of student work.
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
PDT Architects
Bruce M. Whittier Middle School/ Poland Regional High School POLAND, MAINE
New construction 137,000 sf Grades 7-8, 200 students Construction cost $12M Completed 1999 Which facilities should the middle school share with the high school? In what areas should the two groups be kept apart? In planning sessions led by architects from PDT, the town decided to merge some core functions (library, cafeteria, administrative offices, and art and music spaces), but to retain the middle school’s own entrance, gymnasium and locker facilities, and baseball/softball and soccer fields. The 160-student Whittier Middle School is much smaller than the attached high school, with its own entrance and architectural identity. Its friendly vernacular architecture contrasts with the larger, blockier high school. The two-house middle school includes a multi-purpose science/ art project room, several classrooms with folding walls, sinks in every classroom, and a conference room for teaching teams.
MIDDLE SCHOOLS PDT Architects
By referencing older buildings in town, among them the famous Poland Spring Inn, the architectural design of this school reinforces pride and community ownership. The commons, which serves as a lobby for all community functions, was designed as a “town square” at the heart of the building. A rich variety of colors evokes traditional values while enlivening spaces used primarily by young adults. The 400-seat auditorium is used for town meetings as well as school events.
“It’s the first high school built from scratch in Maine in almost a quarter century, experts say. As such, it represents a chance to do things differently.” —Maine Sunday Telegram
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
PDT Architects
King, Lincoln, and Lyman Moore Middle Schools PORTLAND, MAINE
Lyman Moore Middle School New construction 48,000 sf Renovation 51,000 sf Construction cost $4.5M All three schools completed 1996
MIDDLE SCHOOLS PDT Architects
PDT Architects functioned as lead architect for the Portland Middle Schools project, with primary responsibility for programming, design, and construction for all three buildings. The project, which required extensive liaison work with the Building Committee and community leaders, achieved a high level of efficiency and cost effectiveness with a very tight budget. PDT is architect of record for Lyman Moore Middle School and oversaw the work of two other firms on King and Lincoln. All schools were thoroughly renovated, with major additions at two. Lyman Moore, a former elementary school built in the 1950s, received a series of additions to convert the building for middle school students: 26 classrooms, a gymnasium and locker rooms, and an administrative wing.
Strategic Facilities Plan Lincoln School PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND
With Terrence DeWan and Associates Prominent, historic, 6.4-acre private school campus bounded by a residential area. At Lincoln School, an interactive process involving staff, students, administrators, and parents helped interpret the school’s mission as manifested in its facilities plan. Several buildings were reprogrammed to accommodate the school’s educational needs and, at the same time, plans were made to update their physical condition and technology infrastructure. Traffic patterns, parking, and the character of the school’s urban neighborhood were important considerations on this very tight site. Individual construction projects were identified and a phasing plan developed.
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
PDT Architects
Murray Middle School Lincoln School PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND
Renovation: Art Attic 3,000 sf, Middle School 9,000 sf New construction 17,000 sf Construction cost $4M Completed 2003 Of all the buildings addressed in Lincoln School’s master plan, the Middle School needed the most immediate attention. New program needs required new space, so PDT reallocated existing space and designed a new addition between the Middle School and the Upper School. PDT’s design for the Murray Middle School retains Lincoln’s traditions while carrying out its dynamic vision of what the middle school should provide. The new configuration provides a simple, unified organization of all floor levels. Now each floor of the Murray Middle School flows into the adjacent corridor of Faxon Hall, and a new elevator provides barrier-free access to both facilities.
MIDDLE SCHOOLS PDT Architects
The school got intimate classrooms with plenty of workspace; project/presentation areas outside classrooms; a variety of classroom sizes and shapes, some with folding partitions so that classes can be combined; and a large, open, meeting room on the first floor. This space functions as a lobby, meeting room, social and performance space, art gallery, and study area. Also renovated was the gabled top floor of Faxon Hall, dubbed the “Art Attic,” which houses middle and upper school art, ceramics, and photography classrooms and the darkroom. The new Art Education Center rooms, with their distinctive gables and dormers, retain a studio atmosphere.
“Lincoln’s facilities have been magically transformed by the new design [and] renovation . . . . Our collective goal was to provide excellent teaching and learning spaces for the remarkable students and faculty that we have; all this has been accomplished, and much more.” — Head of School Joan C. Countryman
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
PDT Architects
BEDROOM 107 SF LIVING / DINING 139 SF
CL. 8 SF REF.
CL. 10 SF KITCHEN 104 SF ENTRY 94 SF
CL. 4 SF TLT. 54 SF
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
PDT Architects