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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Texas Recruitment

    Texas Recruitment

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The University of Texas at Austin's Texas Recruitment has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of Renovation.

  • Building Beyond Simulation: Creating Immersive Ecosystems for Healthcare Education

    Health sciences education is one of the fastest-growing facility types in colleges and universities. The demand for medical, nursing, and allied health professionals is driving the creation and renovation of medical simulation training facilities that provide students with real-world experience through advanced simulation-based learning.