Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Hildreth Elementary School Construction Begins

  • 06/24/19

Boston-based architecture and design firm, Arrowstreet recently joined the Town of Harvard, the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), and State Senator Jamie Eldridge, as well as school board and school building committee members, teachers, students and families to celebrate the groundbreaking of Hildreth Elementary School in Harvard, Mass.

Arrowstreet Hildreth Learning Stair

When completed in 2021, the new 85,200-square-foot, PK-5 school will be home to a 21st-century learning environment that meets the educational vision of this high-performing school district while also respecting the character and values of the town. The new school will include:

  • 25 core classrooms for Grades PK-5 with flexible learning spaces that accommodate large group, small group, and individual learning needs
  • An Innovation Lab to facilitate Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) learning
  • Cafeteria, media center, and gymnasium designed to create a strong sense of community
  • District offices for the superintendent and other administrative support staff,
  • And site improvements that include playgrounds and playing fields, improved bus and vehicle circulation and parking, and storm water mitigation measures.

The new building design represents a two-year process of working with administrators, faculty and staff, and community members to define the educational program and design the building to suit the district’s high-performing approach to learning. 

“From the onset of this project, it has been clear to us what a wonderful community Harvard is, and the town’s impressive commitment to education and creating a sense of place,” said Larry Spang, principal at Arrowstreet, who leads the firm’s schools practice. “Inspired by Harvard, we designed the new school with three core goals: create educational spaces to support the today’s learning styles in support of the community’s commitment to education; design the building to enhance the existing context of historic Harvard; and create a sense of community. We look forward to two years from now when students and teachers open the doors to the school that they envisioned.”

“Today is big day for the town of Harvard. A lot of hard work and dedication to providing high quality education went into making our vision for this school a reality. We owe thanks to the generosity of the many volunteers and the taxpayers who made this project possible. The new school will add value to our community and help prepare the next generation in a beautiful, engaging and sustainable building,” said the School Building Committee Chair Susan Mary Redinger.

Featured

  • Designing for Every Mind

    Learning environments have the power to shape not just what students know, but who they become. When a school is designed with genuine empathy—for the full range of ways students think, sense, and engage with the world—it becomes more than a building. It becomes a catalyst for growth, confidence, and belonging. That is the animating idea behind neurodiverse design, and it is one that is transforming how more architects and designers are thinking about school design.

  • Photo credit - Chuck Coates

    Florida District Modernizes Central Energy Plants at Two High Schools

    Flagler Schools, a public school district in Flagler County, Fla., recently partnered with Matern Professional Engineering to modernize the central energy plants at two of its high schools, according to a news release. The project is part of a larger, district-wide effort to reduce energy costs and operational expenses.

  • How a Portable Sink Helped an Art Classroom Run More Smoothly

    Classroom design decisions can have outsized effects on instructional time and safety at schools juggling mismatched infrastructure, strict budgets, and crowded schedules — particularly in the arts. Between spilled paint and dirty brushes, art classes run smoother with a sink in the studio. But many schools don’t have a sink in every art classroom.

  • California Middle School Breaks Ground on Major Renovation Project

    The Hillsborough City School District (HCSD) in Hillsborough, Calif., recently began construction on new multipurpose and administration facilities for Crocker Middle School, according to a news release.