With years of partnership between SMMA and the town of Andover, including the Bancroft Elementary School, High Plain Elementary School and Wood Hill Middle School projects, the teams were able to overcome COVID related obstacles with a strong foundation of trust and communication.
With years of partnership between SMMA and the town of Andover, including the Bancroft Elementary School, High Plain Elementary School and Wood Hill Middle School projects, the teams were able to overcome COVID related obstacles with a strong foundation of trust and communication.
The new design intentionally focuses on mobility and accessibility.
Improving navigation within the facility, students enter the hub, or most communal areas of the school. These spaces include a large cafeteria/multipurpose area, two music rooms, and a fitness/dance studio.
A "treehouse" stairwell reinforces the school as a place for young minds to grow, explore, and feel a sense of delight as they enter each morning.
Design elements throughout the library contribute to the emphasis on flexibility and variability.
Lightweight furniture allows teachers and students to arrange seating easily, accommodating classroom gatherings and small group discussions alike. Short bookshelves keep the area open and bright, while ceilings slope upward, directing the eye toward large windows that flood the media center with natural light.
Lightweight furniture allows teachers and students to arrange seating easily, accommodating classroom gatherings and small group discussions alike. Short bookshelves keep the area open and bright, while ceilings slope upward, directing the eye toward large windows that flood the media center with natural light.
Design elements throughout the library contribute to the emphasis on flexibility and variability.
The building is broken into wings throughout three floors, thoughtfully arranging homerooms by grade.
Homerooms include furniture and details that promote children’s agency and independence. Features like bench window seats enable students to have time away from the energy of the class, either alone, or with friends, while creating a connection with the outdoors.
Each grade has an interactive learning common, providing teachers with more flexibility to support learning through movement, beyond traditional reading and listening methods. Additional resource rooms and small group rooms contribute to this effort.
To further integrate the site’s connection to nature, colorful storytelling and educational graphics fill otherwise empty walls with playful imagery and text.
Connection to Nature
|Environmental graphics breathe life and imagination throughout the building, touching on the diverse backgrounds of the students, local plants and wildlife, and the school's sustainability facts and features.
The graphics go beyond seeing and reading. Inclusive design elements support the school’s population of special education students, integrating multi-dimensional sensory graphics and interactive activities. The usage of sign language, for example, is used on grade specific signage at the entrance of each homeroom. Earlier grade signs use fingerspelling, spelling out each word letter by letter, while upper grade signs get more complex, using multi-step signs for words such as “Fifth Grade”.
Embracing diverse learning environments has led to modern programming beyond the four walls of a classroom.
Students can immerse themselves in nature through various outdoor spaces including a wetland boardwalk, rooftop courtyard, outdoor classrooms, a sensory garden, and greenhouse. Intentional outdoor design strategies aim to keep students focused and engaged. Recreation spaces include synthetic turf baseball and softball fields, multipurpose natural and formal gathering spaces, and three play structures.
The Shawsheen Preschool integration allows the community to upgrade their facilities.
Located in its own wing of the school, Shawsheen Preschool features numerous modern spaces to promote education for diverse learners, including a sensory room, private areas for medically fragile children, and a group speech classroom.
Located in its own wing of the school, Shawsheen Preschool features numerous modern spaces to promote education for diverse learners, including a sensory room, private areas for medically fragile children, and a group speech classroom.
The Shawsheen Preschool integration allows the community to upgrade their facilities.
Net-Zero
Ready
All-Electric
Facility
36.7%
Carbon Reduction
4.4 years
Payback
28.1
SD
EUI (kBtu/sf)
The new West Elementary School opened in the fall of 2024 with the Shawsheen Preschool expected to follow in 2025. The building will accommodate roughly 1,000 students. After reviewing site considerations, the new facility was constructed next to the existing building without relocating students during the construction process. The improved layout of the site will relieve traffic congestion while respecting existing woodland areas and multiple wetlands.