School and Arts & Student Center Breaks Ground

The S/L/A/M Collaborative (SLAM), a Glastonbury-based national architecture firm, completed programming, design, and documentation for the 27,800 square-foot renovation and addition of the Five Arts & Student Center at St. Timothy’s School, a private all-girls high school established in 1882. The project broke ground on Fri., Feb. 2 and construction is estimated to be completed in December 2018. SLAM is also providing structural engineering, landscape architecture, and cost estimating services. 

“We are pleased to partner with St. Timothy’s in this important enhancement project that will provide students, faculty and staff with a quality arts, academic and student activity space on campus that matches the high-quality educational experience currently afforded students,” says Richard Connell, FAIA, SLAM principal-in-charge. “The space transformation will also benefit the public through a new art gallery space, where art by students, the community, and visiting artists will be exhibited.”

The former, two-story Hannah More Arts Center, now named the Five Arts & Student Center, home to programs in literature, theatre, dance, visual arts and music, will undergo a renovation including a new contemporary façade and an additional floor to the structure.  Other significant upgrades to the facility will include a refurbished 320-seat theater featuring new seats, lighting and A/V, a full-service Health and Wellness Center, additional classroom space for the English Department, and an expanded 1,000 square-foot Art Gallery. The courtyard located between the Five Arts & Student Center and dining facility will be redesigned with new ornamental trees, benches and new pavers, creating a more welcoming space to relax in between classes in the outdoors.

SLAM’s previous work on campus includes the design of The Commons and Redland Café and Dixon Hall, the main Academic Building.

Featured

  • Embry-Riddle Completes Construction on Research, Lab Facility

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced the end of construction on a new research and lab facility on campus. The Center for Aerospace Engineering II (CAT II) will support aerospace research and technology development and broke ground last summer.

  • Designing the Bridge Between Inclusivity and Independence in K–12 Schools

    Fostering independence is fundamental to learning and development for K–12 students. It offers many proven benefits, such as enhanced confidence, problem-solving, decision-making, and social skills. However, this foundational objective loses its impact if it’s not accessible and adaptable to all students. Inclusivity plays a critical role in cultivating independence and healthy autonomy for students, fostering positive student learning outcomes by uniting pedagogy with the physical learning environment.

  • Year-Round Schools Require Year-Round Indoor Air Quality Planning

    While many schools are out for the summer, year-round schools follow a more “balanced” schedule with shorter, more frequent breaks spaced throughout the school year. Even though this offers educational benefits, these facilities have less downtime for building maintenance. This can become an issue when facilities managers overlook the importance of routine HVAC maintenance and air duct cleaning services.

  • Planning with Clarity: Using AI to Make Better Campus Decisions, Not Just Better Designs

    Higher education leaders are being asked to make increasingly high-stakes decisions about campus facilities amid greater uncertainty than ever before. Social and economic pressures, shifting enrollment, and evolving learning models compete with growing deferred maintenance needs to strain even the most robust infrastructure budgets.