On the Farm
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. — A groundbreaking ceremony was held on June 16 for the conversion of a former cow-milking barn into a new classroom structure at the Charles L. Bowers School Farm.
The Bowers Academy alternative high school, part of the Bloomfield Hills Public Schools district, will be housed at the farm. It will benefit from three new state-of-the-art classrooms for the agriscience and environmental studies campus.
The new $2.932 million barn will include three learning studios, two classrooms, a large entry commons and mezzanine, a concession kitchen, staff offices, and a 720-square-foot greenhouse. The steel-sided cow-milking barn will be demolished.
TMP Architecture worked with the district and an existing concept plan to create an energy-efficient building, including a geothermal system and high-performance, spray-applied insulation to keep future energy costs down. Educational planning firm Fielding Nair International was involved in the early planning and concept stages.
