Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

HMFH Architects Unveils Design for Boston High-Rise Public School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 08/25/21

The city of Boston, Mass., will soon be getting a new public school. HMFH Architects announced this week that it is putting finishing touches on the design for Josiah Quincy Upper School (JQUS), which will stand in a one-acre lot in the city’s “dense and diverse Chinatown neighborhood,” according to a news release. Construction is scheduled to begin in September and be finished in time for the 2024–25 academic year.

The school will serve 650 students in grades 6–12. JQUS will cover 178,000 square feet and feature amenities like rooftop outdoor classrooms; learning spaces for music, art and science; a student-grown garden; athletic and fitness spaces; and particular attention to healthy spaces, including an advanced air quality system. The building will feature enhanced air filtering and a fresh air make-up system to compensate for airborne pollution from two nearby highways.

John Quincy Upper School Rendering
Photo credit: HMFH Architects

The zero-carbon facility will be powered entirely by electricity, and rooftop photovoltaic arrays will provide 14% of the building’s power.

“Fitting a robust educational program onto this dense, urban site was paramount in our planning,” said Pip Lewis, AIA, Project Director with HMFH Architects. “Equally important was weaving the school appropriately into the urban and neighborhood context, which required thoughtful consideration from streetscape to skyline.”

Construction is being funded through the City of Boston and the Massachusetts School Building Authority. Turner Construction will serve as the project’s construction manager, and Skanska USA Building will serve as the owner’s project manager.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • California High School Opens New Classroom Building for 7th-, 8th-Graders

    Santa Rosa City Schools in Santa Rosa, Calif., recently announced the completion of a new classroom building for Piner High School. As the campus transitions to a Junior/Senior High School, the facility will play home to the school’s new population of seventh- and eighth-grade students.

  • Wyoming District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    Laramie County School District #1 in Cheyenne, Wy., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the upcoming Mountain View Elementary School, according to a news release. The facility has an estimated completion date of summer 2028, and it will have the capacity for 650 students in fifth and sixth grade.

  • Haws Corporation Marks 120th Anniversary

    Haws Corporation, which provides hydration and emergency safety solutions worldwide, recently announced that the company is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year, according to a news release.

  • URI Cuts Underwater Ribbon on New Ocean Robotics Laboratory

    The University of Rhode Island recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Ocean Robotics Laboratory at its Narragansett Bay Campus, according to a news release. Two students used a remotely operated vehicle to cut an underwater ribbon in a 30-by-20-foot test tank.