The new Saugus Middle/High School, which opened last September, will bring together of 1,300 students in a STEAM-driven complex outfitted for exploratory learning and innovation. The school is anchored by three building pods comprising a four-story high school wing, a three-story middle school wing, and a central connecting pod with shared community spaces.
Built on a 22-acre site adjacent to the old high school, students enter the 269,000-sf building onto the school’s “main street,” a central circulation route connecting public spaces within the school. This circulation route serves as a link between the 750-seat auditorium, cafeteria, gym, and Starbucks-style student cafe.
The school hosts grades six through twelve and separates the distinct middle and high school academic zones by the shared core spaces. Eighth and ninth graders share the same floor to ease the transition from middle into high school. Grade-level classroom pods establish small learning communities that are lit with natural light via large lightwells. Windows look into a multi-level lightwell to provide a visual connection between grade levels in order to foster a sense of shared space and experience. Students across all grades have access to maker spaces and tech shops such as a woodshed, a broadcast studio, and coding and web-aided design labs.
Classrooms were designed with flexibility in mind. They are 800 sf, 350 sf larger than a standard classroom space, to allow for easy adaptation and future flexibility. The building’s furniture and equipment can be quickly rearranged in response to specific project or group needs.
Each of the building’s three learning pods is characterized by one of Saugus’s vital industries: iron, ice, and lobstering. Each pod contains a custom mural communicating the story of its industry through a graphic lens. The history of each industry also informed color choices and materiality.
The high school space is illuminated by a large, sweeping lightwell that pays homage to 1600s ironwork technology. The overall form of the lightwell through which the shaft directs light draws inspiration from the Saugus Iron Works blast furnaces.
In addition to HMFH, the build team also included Suffolk Construction as the construction manager.
Related Stories
University Buildings | Jul 2, 2018
Columbus State Community College’s new hospitality management and culinary arts building breaks ground
DesignGroup is the architect for the project.
Education Facilities | Jul 2, 2018
California High School renovates classrooms to meet the resurgence of Career Technical Education
Tangram Interiors handled the remodeling project.
Education Facilities | Jun 25, 2018
Behind the whiteboard: Collaborative spaces set teachers up for classroom success
Known as the Teacher coLab, the rejuvenated space takes inspiration from academic incubators in higher education.
Education Facilities | Jun 8, 2018
Data is driving design for education
In gathering this constant flow of data and recognizing the shifting trends, how can educational institutions make informed choices and smart design decisions that lead to higher efficiency and improved control over capital budgets?
| May 30, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: From micro schools to tiny houses: What’s driving the downsizing economy?
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), micro-buildings design expert Aeron Hodges, AIA, explores the key drivers of the micro-buildings movement, and how the trend is spreading into a wide variety of building typologies.
| May 24, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: Security and the built environment: Insights from an embassy designer
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), embassy designer Tom Jacobs explores ways that provide the needed protection while keeping intact the representational and inspirational qualities of a design.
Education Facilities | May 1, 2018
New English school for students with learning disabilities incorporates its woodland setting into the design
Studio Weave designed the school.
Education Facilities | Apr 16, 2018
Cutting-edge designs receive AIA's Education Facility Design Award
Recipients’ designs enhance student learning experiences.
Education Facilities | Apr 11, 2018
Three tips for safe and secure schools
The task of providing safe and secure environments in which our children can learn is both complicated and far-reaching.
Education Facilities | Mar 30, 2018
How can we design safer schools in the age of active shooters?
How can we balance the need for additional security with design principles that foster a more nurturing next-generation learning environment for students?
