BOSTON – Perkins Eastman recently joined the Boston Arts Academy Foundation, the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), and the Mayor’s Office of the City of Boston to celebrate the groundbreaking for the new Boston Arts Academy.

The project will increase the size of the building from approximately 121,000-square-feet to 153,500-square-feet, permitting greater capacity to the Boston Arts Academy.

“It has been a thrill to work with the Boston Arts Academy, Boston Public Schools, and Boston Public Facilities Department to create a project that provides the BAA with the spaces they need for their very special programs. The BAA is truly a unique environment where arts and academics are intertwined, and we have worked to design a facility that supports their process and expresses their values,” said Jana Silsby AIA, LEED AP, Perkins Eastman’s project architect.

Situated on a prominent corner across from iconic Fenway Park, the new building exists as a beacon for the neighborhood—to convey its significance as a learning community to onlookers.

This is reflected at the exterior through a series of projecting glass bay windows that showcase the activity occurring within and keep occupants constantly connected to the urban fabric. The building also includes rooftop outdoor learning and performance space.

The new five-story building will offer new and greatly enhanced performance and rehearsal spaces, including a new 500-seat theater featuring a proscenium stage, a black box theatre, dance studios, a recital hall, art gallery, music practice rooms, and visual arts and fashion technology studios and workspace. In addition to this, the building also provides common gathering and teaching spaces along with an award-winning STEAM program.

The facility will also include a gym and a health and wellness center for students.

Furthermore, the building has been designed with a range of features that are proven to improve indoor environmental quality (IEQ), with a focus on improved daylight, thermal comfort, acoustics and reduced CO2 levels to improve cognitive function.

“It’s thrilling to see this building, with its much-needed student spaces take shape and to know that it will serve future generations of passionate artists and creators,”

said Boston Arts Academy Headmaster Anne Clark.

The new $125 million facility is designed by Perkins Eastman in association with Wilson Butler Architects and is expected to be complete in 2021.

The project team also includes Lee Kennedy as the construction manager.

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In 2010, Superintendent of Ignacio School District Rocco Fuschetto set out to change the district and surrounding community forever. The district had been saddled with below-standard performance ratings, lack of space for educational programs, and was losing students and staff to neighboring schools. Fuschetto invited RTA Architects’ (RTA) Stuart Coppedge, AIA to tour the site and to inspire ideas for change. Soon after, RTA was appointed lead architect with a master plan containing four different options for implementing a new design for the district. Thus began a five-year-long process that would create a unified school district with three 21st century learning environments, state-of-the-art athletic and art facilities, an administration building, a transportation facility and an entirely changed community.

The school district’s goal was to increase educational programs, resources and overall student performance. Fuschetto wanted students to come to school to learn, rather than only for athletics. He also wanted to instill pride in students, staff, and community members, and to create a well-balanced curriculum.

In October 2011, a public vote was held for the district to receive a bond for the proposed master plan that initially resulted in a tie. However, a recount revealed that a single ballot had been placed in the wrong envelope. This led to a one-vote bond election victory and the ability to start the project.

Initially, Ignacio School District owned four main pieces of land. The first parcel held district-owned rental properties, the second held the 4-6 school, the third housed the PK-3 elementary school, and the fourth held buildings for the grades 7-8 middle school and the grades 9-12 high school. The four options presented in the master plan by RTA included a variety of well-researched renovations, upgrades, additions and new builds for these parcels. After many discussions, an option was chosen that required using the first piece of land for a brand new 6-8 middle school, renovating the existing 4-6 building into a PK-5 school, and renovating the existing combined middle and high school buildings into a single, unified high school campus. RTA and the district chose not to use the existing PK-3 elementary school in the new layout because of its poor condition. The end result is three distinct campuses for an elementary school (grades PK-5), middle school (grades 6-8), and high school (grades 9-12). This option allows for potential growth, while providing athletic facilities at the middle and high schools and achieving the greatest flexibility for future space developments.

The first phase focused on construction of the new middle school. During this time, students were able to stay in their respective buildings, but after its completion a district-wide game of “musical chairs” began. After the middle school was built, the 6-8 grade students moved in and the intermediate 4-5 grade students were relocated to the existing junior high for phase II of the project. After the 4-6 intermediate school was renovated into the new PK-5 elementary, the PK-3 grade students and the remaining 4-5 grade students moved in. At the same time, the old wrestling and band room were being remodeled into the new administration building, including a warehouse and maintenance shop. The existing maintenance shop was renovated into a new woodshop. This left the existing middle school and PK-3 grade elementary buildings empty, so the high school students were able to move into the original elementary school while the existing combined middle and high school campus was renovated.

The massive changes made to Ignacio School District produced dramatic results. By keeping the best parts of the existing buildings, repurposing them and adding necessary additions, RTA was able to give the district the highest value for its hard-won dollars. The design also stayed true to the original master plan. With the help of several design advisory groups comprised of designers, staff, students, teachers and community members, the project has also allowed for the implementation of more leading-edge educational programs. For example, the district hopes to grow the performing arts program with the new state-of-the-art high school auditorium and students can now receive credit from nearby Fort Lewis College.

RTA’s in-depth structural analysis and energy-saving strategies have even earned Ignacio LEED Gold certification. Fuschetto noted that the school’s gas bill for March was under $200.

Ignacio Bobcats also have a newfound respect and love for their educational and sports facilities. RTA Associate Mike Riggs said, “The new middle school and renovated elementary and high school buildings give students hope, inspiration and something they can claim as their own.” The middle and high school’s athletic facilities have also helped to improve the Ignacio School District experience by allowing the Bobcats to host regional and local tournaments with their CHSAA-approved fields and gyms.

The district is also well balanced and well rounded as vocational programs were expanded and improved alongside educational and athletic programs. This allows students with a variety of goals to be prepared for wherever life takes them. Fuchetto said, “RTA Architects understood the needs of the district and community so they captured those needs and feelings in the design of every building. The community should be very proud because without that one vote, nothing would have been accomplished.”

A new transportation building will be the final item in the district overhaul and is currently under construction. The project earned Ignacio School District several awards, including the CEFPI 2014 Summit Merit Award, AIA 2014 Merit Award for Best Architecture, AIA 2014 Honor Award for Best Architecture and the CEFPI 2013 Peak Merit Award for New Construction.

Stuart L. Coppedge, AIA, LEED AP led RTA’s Ignacio work as principal-in charge. He is the 2016–2017 national treasurer of the American Institute of Architects and serves on the Colorado Springs Downtown Review Board and the Board of Directors of Atlas Preparatory School. He can be reached at: stuart@rtaarchitects.com.
 

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