South-West Middle School, located in Quincy, Mass., is a $58 million, 96,000-sf facility meant to “usher in the next generation of learning.”
The building features collaborative learning spaces, a media center, gymnasium, music and art rooms, administrative offices, a cafe, and an auditorium. STEM circulation zones encourage project-based learning and an open floor plan and glass walls create a synergetic environment. The glass walls are equipped with an electrified film that turns it opaque with the flip of a switch, making it impossible to see who is inside a classroom, an added safety measure in the event of a lockdown.
“Building off the growing trend of innovative and modernized schools, the light-filled spaces and technology-rich classrooms allow this new building to facilitate a high-quality of student engagement for the next generation of learning,” said Robert Murray, BOND (the project’s general contractor) President.
See Also: COX Architecture and Zaha Hadid Architects will design the Western Sydney Airport
Because the new school is being built directly behind the old school, BOND used the opportunity to facilitate classroom learning sessions with South-West Middle School students to coincide with project milestones and STEM curriculum. A student-led Junior Building Committee met with BOND employees, went on hardhat tours of the site, wrote reports, and shared updates with their classmates and the school’s website throughout the construction process.
The school welcomed its first students for the 2019 school year.
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