Serving as Architect of Record and Interior Designer, JCJ Architecture collaborated with the school and surrounding community to create a structure that suits the various needs of both students and families.

The 77,102 square-foot school now houses 335 students from Pre-K to fifth grade and comprises three specialized education programs. Committed to inclusive education, the school integrates general grade-level classrooms and specialized education programs within classroom wings and provides open corridors for extended learning opportunities.

Other design highlights include:

• Meeting Student Needs Outside the Classroom: Learning that many students within the community either walk or ride their bikes to school, JCJ oriented the design of the site and building to optimize the safety of the journey to and from school. The arrangement improves pedestrian and vehicular circulation and provides space for additional hard surface and grassy play areas. A nearby pedestrian bridge connects the middle/high school campus to the elementary school campus. The design team also created a separate entrance for pre-K students at the school’s east wing to accommodate their half-day schedule and streamline pick-up and drop-off procedures.

• Harmonizing with the Surrounding Aesthetic: To successfully integrate the school with its surrounding context and reinforce the educational campus, the design team borrowed the exterior material palette of modular red and grey brick from the existing middle and high school. In response to the residential scale of the neighborhood, the two single-story pre-K classrooms with gabled roofs are situated closest to nearby Lincoln Street and provide a welcoming elevation. In homage to the town’s location on Massachusetts’ North Shore, the design team drew inspiration for the interior material palette from the ocean, with blue and green tones that recall sea glass, soft, warm woods, and sandy hues. Married with the warm brick of the exterior, the interior materials and colors provide a comfortable and inviting atmosphere for the students while maintaining playfulness inherent to their age groups.

More info at JCJ Web site.