MILWAUKEE—Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District (MCPASD) broke ground recently on the new Pope Farm Elementary School. Battling overcrowding at multiple schools, Eppstein Uhen Architects (EUA) worked with the District to design a future-ready school that embodies MCPASD’s mission: Inclusive. Innovative. Inspiring.

Set adjacent to an expansive conservancy, the design concept for Pope Farm Elementary School reinforces a connection to nature. With a variety of spaces to foster small- and large-group instruction, the school’s design is the result of extensive collaboration with teachers and staff.

“We are excited to kick off construction at Pope Farm Elementary School” said Project Manager Robin Savola. “The safe, functional environments within Pope Farm Elementary School will support learners of all kinds, enhancing their reputation as a destination district.”

The new 525-student elementary school is part of a larger District building project made possible by a successful $138.9 million referendum approved by voters in November 2018.

Additional projects include:

Renovate and expand Middleton High School; Clark Street Community School will be included in the high school addition/renovation project

Add a cafeteria and areas of light interior renovation at Park Elementary School

Convert the current Clark Street Community School building into a 4K-early childhood site

Pope Farm Elementary School is set to open for the start of the 2020-21 school year. J.H. Findorff & Son is the Construction Manager on the project.

Eppstein Uhen Architects (EUA) is best known for designing environments that elevate people’s potential. More than 230 employees in Milwaukee, Madison, Des Moines and Denver demonstrate unparalleled commitment to the markets, communities and clients they serve. The respected 112-year old firm specializes in several markets including education, workplace, healthcare, senior living, student housing, mixed-use, entertainment and science + technology. For additional information, please visit the firm’s website at eua.com.

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Oconomowoc Area School District (OASD) staff, families and community members are invited to join the festivities, acknowledgments, self-guided tours and student participation at the event.

Ixonia Elementary School Principal Stacy Yearling said in a statement, “Walking into the new Ixonia School, it is evident that this project has been about far more than just new spaces and walls. The committees of people that have poured their energy into making so many important decisions, both large and small; the volunteers that have committed their time, energy and hearts into helping to make this project come to fruition; the educators who have embraced the challenge of teaching in a space over the last year and a half that was in a constant state of revision; and the families that have shown unending support for our school.”

The interior of the new Ixonia Elementary School addition was completed during summer break after the 2017-18 school year ended. Space includes new 4K and 5K classrooms, a new cafeteria/commons area, new offices and a new secure main entrance. Immediately after school ended in June, major work shifted into the original building. The project also includes renovated 1st-4th-grade classrooms on the main level and Maker-Space and STEM learning areas on the lower level, plus a new outdoor play space.

Demolition was completed quickly, and crews began framing new walls in the lower level, cutting openings between classrooms on the main level, and updating plumbing, electrical, heating/cooling and fire protection systems. Exterior concrete work to create the new main entrance, sidewalks and curbs also began in June, in preparation for paving the new bus-loop in July and final landscaping in August.

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Baker Design Group of Boston served as lead architect for the 14,250-square-foot renovation, as well as the 4,600 square feet of new penthouse space. In addition to expanding the building’s useable space, the project will also improve Longfellow Hall’s existing infrastructure and accessibility. However, it will primarily allow for the relocation of several academic programs currently housed in leased spaces, advancing the university’s goal of creating a more cohesive campus.

Numerous internal improvements include upgrades to the building’s mechanical, electrical, plumbing and life safety systems. Thanks to the integration of new green and sustainable technologies, the redesign is also projected to reduce the building’s greenhouse gas footprint by 6 percent, bringing its overall reduction to 27 percent since 2006. The project is currently targeting LEED Gold certification.

Despite its new modern features, designers made sure the vertical addition will blend well into its surroundings, and compliment Longfellow Hall’s existing façade in scale, design and material. Construction of a temporary roof system will also ensure the project does not encounter any water infiltration to the floors below, and interior preservation work will help maintain the building’s ornate interiors.

The red brick structure was originally designed by Perry, Shaw and Hepburn in 1929, and was acquired by the HGSE in 1961 from Radcliffe College. To that point, the HGSE had been spread across several 19th century frame houses, as well as one 1840s era building still in use today by the university’s Science Center. Extensive renovations were completed on the building after its purchase, creating new classrooms, office space and a lower level library. The building is currently home to the HGSE’s Academic Affairs Office, Admissions, Career Services and other departments.

The Longfellow project itself is part of a multiphase HGSE campus master plan prepared jointly by Baker Design Group and Harvey H. Kaiser Associates Inc. (HHK). According to HHK, the highly interactive campus planning process included frequent meetings with a university steering committee, as well as multiple members of the planning staff and broader campus community.

The first phase of the three-phase master plan project aimed to consolidate existing facilities by improving space utilization. This entailed the construction of several new structures, enabling the HGSE to move away from leased buildings. Various planning options were developed throughout the following phases, and resulted in the summer of 2011 with recommendation implementations. Construction on Longfellow Hall began in late 2013, and is targeted to last through December 2014.

BOND of Everett, Mass. was selected to serve as the project’s construction manager. Like Baker Design Group, BOND also has experience working with Harvard, having successfully completed the university’s 510,000-square-foot Northwest Science Center in 2008, and the 180,000-square-foot student housing development 10 Akron that same year.

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