BOSTON—Wollaston Development, a Greater Boston-based site development and property design company, recently announced a new concept for school design in the age of COVID-19 and beyond. The open-air classroom design model aims to allow schools to take advantage of their campuses by converting existing unused space into outdoor classrooms. This affordable conversion provides schools with a safer option for holding in-person learning as society attempts to adjust to the “new normal” of educating during an ongoing pandemic.

“Experts indicate that we could be dealing with the impact of COVID for years to come,” said Michael Pallone, founder and president of Wollaston Development. “We want to provide our clients with the opportunity to conduct in-person education while keeping their teachers, staff and students as safe as possible. Our open-air and classroom design provides all the conveniences of indoor spaces while helping reduce the spread of viruses. They are also beautifully designed and feature a mix of stone, granite and other natural elements that enhance the aesthetic of any campus or school grounds.”

With tables built for easy cleaning and weathering the elements, a video conference screen that lowers into the patio floor when not in use, lighting fixtures, internet access, and electrical outlets and phone lines, the open-air classroom features all the amenities of traditional indoor classrooms. Additionally, a retractable awning, a half wall, and heating elements strategically located throughout the area provide protection from the elements, making the classroom usable from early spring into late fall.

“School needs have changed, and we must adapt to continue to keep kids in school as much as possible while making their safety our highest priority,” continued Pallone. “The experts have said, ‘this isn’t the first pandemic and it won’t be the last’ as these events are happening more and more often. The best we can do is be prepared to minimize their impact on our lives and our children’s development.”

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BOSTON—A $15 million renovation project for Eliot Innovation School—the oldest continuously operating school in the United States—was completed in September.

The school—which serves students in grades PK- through 8— now has a dedicated middle school facility which is located at 585 Commercial Street. Eliot School has been located in the North End for its entire history and was originally opened as the North Writing School in 1713 educating many famous Bostonians, including Samuel Adams and Paul Revere.

“I am thrilled to celebrate the opening of a new Eliot School building,” said Boston Mayor Martin Walsh. “This school is a big part of the North End’s history and will remain the heart and soul of this community for decades to come. Thank you to all our partners who made this possible.”

Finegold Alexander Architects served as the design architect and architect of record. The project team included: Daniel O’Connell’s Sons (Contractor); RSE Associates (Structural Engineer); RW Sullivan Engineering (MEP/FP Engineer & Code); Bryant Associates (Civil Engineer); Copley Wolff Design Group (Landscape Architect); Acentech (Acoustics); Sladen Feinstein Integrated Lighting (Lighting); Crabtree McGrath Associates, Inc. (Food Service); Kalin Associates (Specifications); Bourne Consulting Engineering (Environmental & Permitting); Fuss & O’Neill (Hazardous Materials); McPhail Associates (Geotechnical Consulting); and Tavares Design Associates (FF&E Consultant)

“The Eliot Innovation School offers students a truly unique experience,” said Rebecca Berry, president, Finegold Alexander Architects.

“The waterfront location affords harbor, Zakim Bridge and USS Constitution views, with the Freedom Trail steps from the front door connecting students to their natural and historical environment and significantly enhancing the learning experience.”

The Eliot K-8 School now consists of three facilities, all in the North End. The Lower School, located at 16 Charter Street, serves pre-K, Kindergarten and first-grade students; the Intermediate School at 173 Salem Street serves students in grades 2-4; and the recently completed Upper School at 585 Commercial Street serves students in grades 5-8.

The renovations of both the Commercial Street and Salem Street locations were designed by Finegold Alexander Architects.

Construction began in 2017 on the school at 585 Commercial Street. The new, 42,000-square-foot school facility features a digital art studio, technology classroom with robotics lab and laser cutter, media center, and 18 new classrooms that promote collaborative learning. The building features eight brightly colored projecting bays, which create “learning nooks” geared for small group instruction and collaborative learning. Exterior upgrades include a new schoolyard with play structure, new sidewalks, and an accessible entry.

“Every student deserves access to a 21^st-century education and Boston Public Schools is committed to providing all of our youth with safe, joyful and innovative learning environments,” said Boston Public School Superintendent Brenda Cassellius.

“This is an exciting time for the Eliot School, and demonstrates the immense value and strength of coordinated community engagement and collaboration for the benefit of our children.”

Many of the building’s features promote sustainability and resiliency, including a new reflective roof, high R-Value insulation at the new building envelope, and glazing that maximizes natural light. Mechanical improvements include a new electrical service located at the second floor for climate resilience, a new fire protection system, and 98% efficient boilers.

The school was designed to meet LEED Silver V4 for schools’ standards. The cafeteria accommodates the My Way Cafe school meals program, which provides students with fresh, healthy food options. The building features a multi-purpose space that may be utilized by the community.

The new campus is located on the Harborwalk and is a short distance to public parks and all of the historic North End, with nearby MBTA access via North Station. The two other Eliot School campuses are also within walking distance, with students frequently traveling from one building to the others throughout the school day.

Eliot’s 730 students are evenly distributed among the three school buildings, with the Upper School currently serving nearly 250 students. The Eliot School has experienced renewal under Principal Traci Walker Griffith’s 12 years of leadership, transforming the school into a thriving, deeply connected K-8 school community.

“The opening of the new Upper School is a true testament to our community’s and the City of Boston’s belief in public education and commitment to the Eliot School’s expansion,” said Principal Walker Griffith. “As the proud principal of the Eliot School, I am forever grateful for a community deeply rooted in the mission that a great education can transform students’ lives.”

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ROXBURY, Mass. — Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Boston Public Schools (BPS) recently celebrated the opening of the Dearborn STEM 6-12 Early College Academy, the first school in Boston intentionally designed and built for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) learning.

The state-of-the-art, 128,000-square-foot facility is located just outside of Dudley Square in Roxbury, and features flexible indoor and outdoor learning spaces, two fabrication labs also known as “fab labs,” modern technology such as 3D printers and laser die cutters, a gymnasium, a dance studio, a media center, an abundance of natural light with views of the downtown Boston skyline from several classrooms and sophisticated green energy systems.

“This magnificent school — and the powerful educational work that will happen within it — truly demonstrates to our students that the Boston Public Schools cares about them, and that we believe they have what it takes to succeed in the innovation economy,” said BPS Interim Superintendent Laura Perille. “Today’s celebration represents years of thoughtful collaboration with local and state government, and many community organizations and partners. I could not be more excited.”

The building was designed by the firm Jonathan Levi Architects of Boston and built by Gilbane, Inc. in partnership with Janey Construction Management. The design and construction of the project was managed by the City of Boston Public Facilities Department in collaboration with Daedalus Project Managers.

The $73 million facility was the first new school construction project in the Boston Public Schools in 15 years, and is seen as a model for future projects through the BuildBPS educational and facilities master plan. About $37 million of the total cost was reimbursed by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

The design of the new school is based upon the project-based learning curriculum. The academic spaces are organized by cohort, which includes educational classrooms, science laboratories, special education instructional space, and shared amenities. The school was built to serve 600 BPS students by 2020. Currently, 488 students are enrolled as the school begins to expand.

Since 2014, Mayor Walsh and BPS have secured more than $110 million in MSBA funds to support new school buildings and facility renovations, which includes $30 million from the MSBA Accelerated Repair Program to fund for new boilers, windows, and roofs in school buildings across the city.

“I am thrilled to open the Dearborn STEM Academy and continue the trend of new beginnings in the City of Boston,” said Mayor Walsh. “Students, teachers, and families are excited for all the possibilities the new year brings. And we, as a City, are making historic investments in our youth and our communities. I can’t wait to see this school grow, and know that Dearborn students are going to do remarkable things in their new home.”

Located at 36 Winthrop Street in Roxbury, the new Dearborn STEM Academy is at the same location of the Henry Dearborn School, which was built in 1913 when it opened as the High School of Practical Arts. At the time, the school taught classes in cooking, laundry, sewing, nursing, and home economics for young women. The school was closed and re-opened in 1954 as Girls’ High School. It operated as Roxbury High School from 1974-1981, and it was designated the Henry Dearborn School in 1981. Since 2014, Dearborn STEM Academy has operated in a shared space with the Jeremiah E. Burke High School in Dorchester while the current building was under construction.

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In addition to the recently finalized project at Northeastern University, located in Boston, Dyer Brown is also busy reworking campus spaces and building interiors for other high-caliber university clients, including Boston University and Emory University (in Atlanta). The firm’s expanded footprint in the educational sector follows its recognized achievements in the workplace and hospitality sectors.

Regarding the recently wrapped Northeastern University endeavor — new Orientation Department offices and an adjacent conference center, Frost Lounge — Dyer Brown’s 2,000-square-foot transformation illustrates how the firm’s broad expertise helps colleges and universities recreate campuses and student amenities. The project also highlights Dyer Brown’s success in boosting functionality on college campuses while creating vibrant, attractive experiences through buildings and interior environments.

“Leading institutions of higher education like Northeastern compete in challenging marketplaces for applicants, for students, and for top faculty and staff,” said Rachel Woodhouse, NCIDQ, LEED AP, principal and director of operations for Dyer Brown, in a statement. She added that Dyer Brown’s diverse experience in a range of markets and project types helps them create deeply client-focused and on-brand design solutions for university campuses.

The recently completed renovation at Northeastern University has reimagined the Orientation Department facilities for orienting students into campus life. The orientation meeting spaces and shared workspaces for student use were totally reimagined by Dyer Brown and the Northeastern University project team, with the architects sharing creative ideas from both institutional and commercial workplace strategies. The new layout places the Student Orientation office by the entrance lobby, making it more accessible and visible, while redesigning the Frost Lounge meeting area to increase its square footage and improve its adaptability for different uses.

The overall redesign also applies an abstracted version of Northeastern University’s logo subtly into new furnishings and finishes, wrapping the angled shapes of its iconic capital “N” across interior walls, floors and ceilings. Innovative cost-effective touches, such as installations of wood fins integrated into the new reception desk and several walls, creating visual interest and textural dimension, were also introduced by the design team.

“We collaborated closely with the project’s contractor, Kaplan Construction, and several subtrades to develop creative finish materials on the floors, ceilings and walls with the striking 45-degree angle seams wrapping throughout the space,” said Karen Bala, AIA, LEED AP, senior architect with Dyer Brown, in a statement. “The detailing at angles subtly evokes Northeastern’s shared identity, while the meeting of disparate materials helps reinforce that this is where communities come together and touch — part of an ongoing university initiative to recruit students from around the world.”

Dyer Brown Architects showcases a fully integrated array of professional services, ranging from high-level building owner and corporate advisory to 3-D concept visualization. The firm’s clients run the gamut from property owner/developers and end-users to global corporations and leading regional brands in such market sectors as workplace, retail, hospitality and higher education.

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“The LEED Building program exemplifies our commitment to sustainable development principles by lowering carbon emissions associated with construction, and demonstrates our focus on healthy, energy efficient and durable construction that reduces operating costs and prioritizes sustainable practices,” said Shane Conklin, associate vice chancellor for facilities and campus services, in a statement.

Built in 1885, the Old Chapel was designed by Steven C. Earle in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. The Old Chapel’s original structure consists of local timber and stone such as Pelham granite and Longmeadow sandstone. Since the 19th century, the building had undergone various use-case scenarios — from being a library and an auditorium, to a natural history collections and even a marching band rehearsal space.

The Old Chapel was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015, and work began on a $21 million renovation, addition and preservation effort to restore the building after it had been shuttered in 1999 due to structural deterioration.

UMass Amherst and the UMass Building Authority hired Finegold Alexander Architects of Boston to design the restoration with an eye to preserving the building’s history as well as making upgrades align with the university’s vision for sustainability. Much of the original building material was used in the revitalized building including 83 percent of structural masonry, wood columns, beams, trusses and wainscoting trim. And 82 percent of new wood products were either locally sourced or Forest Stewardship Council (CSC) certified.

The renovated Old Chapel now boasts a student study, gallery exhibitions and community events on its first floor and a Great Hall suitable for performances, lectures, receptions and weddings.

The Old Chapel renovation is the 11th project within a sustainable building program at UMass Amherst that includes 10 other facilities totaling approximately 1.155 million gross square feet of LEED-certified space. With six more registered projects undergoing certification, sustainably designed buildings are projected to make up 13 percent of the total UMass Amherst building stock.

This October, the Old Chapel will receive a commendation from the Victorian Society in America, a national, non-profit organization committed to historic preservation, protection, understanding, education regarding the nation’s 19th century heritage, for its “comprehensive exterior restoration and adaptive use of the interior.”

The building “was the subject of a thoughtful planning process to find a contemporary use for the structure while preserving as much of the original architectural fabric as possible,” the society noted in a statement. “The goal was admirably accomplished by the subsequent rehabilitation that has met the highest standards of conservation practice.”

The award will be presented on Oct. 7 in New York City. As Conklin added in his statement, “Our campus and buildings serve as an invaluable educational tool for students to learn from innovative design, construction and maintenance practices that model community sustainability.”

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