Town of Leicester to Assess Middle School and Existing Public School Buildings

  • 05/21/19

Finegold Alexander Architects proudly announces they have been selected by the Town of Leicester, Mass. and the Massachusetts School Building Authority as the Architects for the Feasibility and Schematic Design phases of the Leister Middle School project.

“We are thrilled to be working with Finegold Alexander to help build the new Middle School,” said Marilyn Tenzca, superintendent, Leicester Public Schools. “They understand our community and we are excited about the process which will help us educate students for the future.”

Leicester Middle School was originally constructed in 1961 as the Leicester High School. The building is a single-story structure of approximately 74,000 square feet. The location of the existing building is part of a 43-acre campus that is shared with the Leicester Primary School and the Leicester High School.

The building was converted to the Leicester Middle School in 1994, upon the opening of the new high school. The town is seeking to address the educational program limitations and the facility deficits of the current middle school, but also to evaluate the project in context of the overall School District needs and vision.

The Feasibility Study kicked-off with an existing building and site conditions assessment in parallel with a series of Educational Visioning Workshops with the district, including representatives from the school administration, faculty, staff, parents and students. “The visioning session helped to identify and understand the aspirations of the school and the community. It also uncovers key community issues and concerns related to the project,” said Regan Shields Ives, principal, Finegold Alexander Architects.

“The feasibility study will evaluate options for renovations, expansion, or creation of a new building as well as potential grade configurations ranging from a 6-8, 5-8 or pK-8 school.

“At the conclusion of the Feasibility Study, a preferred schematic design option will be presented to the MSBA for a vote to move forward into the Schematic Design phase.

More information is availalble at www.faainc.com.

Featured

  • Ancient Resilience: How Indigenous Intelligence Shapes the 4Roots Education Building

    As climate change intensifies, educational spaces must evolve beyond basic sustainability toward true resilience – we must design environments that can adapt, respond, and thrive amid shifting, and intensifying, climate hazards. Drawing on indigenous wisdom and nature-based strategies, integrating resilient design offers a path to create learning environments that are not only functional but deeply in tune with their natural surroundings.

  • Image courtesy of MiEN Company

    6 Ways to Pull Off a Major District Construction Project

    Designing and building a large-scale project on a K–12 campus is a monumental undertaking that requires the right blend of ideas, funding, design and execution to get it right. The process also relies on multiple partners, each of which has to handle its respective aspect of the project while also keeping the district’s broader mission and goals in mind.

  • New Jersey PreK–12 School Breaks Ground on New STEM Building

    Saddle River Day School (SRDS) in Saddle River, N.J., recently announced that it has broken ground on the new Dr. Kristen Walsh Hall of Science & Entrepreneurship, according to a news release. The school partnered with DIGroup Architecture for the design of the new facility, which will provide the school with space to expand its STEM and business education classes.

  • California District Starts Construction on New Robotics Facility

    The Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) near Silicon Valley, Calif., recently announced that construction has begun on a new Robotics Facility on the campus of Cupertino High School, according to a news release. The 14,500-square-foot facility will serve students at high schools across the entire district, providing purpose-built spaces for student creativity and collaboration.

Digital Edition