proctor elementary school

This project in Northborough, MA involved major renovations and additions to fulfill new stringent educational standards, relieve overcrowding, and resolve a variety of code related safety issues previously identified in an OMR feasibility study.

The footprint of the school is essentially “L” shaped with two perpendicular classroom wings. The core facilities (including the gym, cafeteria/auditorium, and library/media center) are grouped near the main entrance at the intersection of these two wings. Clustering the shared core facilities at the heart of the school helps foster a sense of community; it also makes it easy to secure and close-off the rest of the building for community use after school.

New space was created through four distinct additions: two at the ends of each wing, and two at the juncture of the wings. Distributing the new construction in this manner helps keep the enlarged building in scale with the surrounding residential area. To further reinforce the residential character of the school, the additions at the end of each classroom wing are capped with gambrel roofs similar to those found on neighboring houses. The shed roofs over the gymnasium and cafeteria conceal light monitors which collect and reflect glare-free daylight into the spaces below.