The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) was joined by members of Milford’s school building team to offer a Story of a Building training. The district built a new upper elementary school now known as the Woodland Elementary. Officially completed in 2016, the school opened its doors to serve a community of nearly 1,000 students in grades 3-5. Covering over 133,000 square feet, the new structure has benefitted the growing elementary school-aged population in the Town of Milford. Focusing on Milford’s story in the planning and construction of their new school, this program shared the creative ways that the district built a school that would meet the diverse needs of students and staff.
Every Story of a Building training has learning opportunities for participants that are based on the school districts’ experience designing and constructing their school. This Story of Building program offered best practices suggestions from Milford’s experience. One area that received a shoutout from attendees was the helpful information shared about membership on the School Building Committee, specifically a focus on assorted strengths of committee members. Also, attendees benefitted from viewing a built space that provided design ideas for their own district’s educational program.
The building is divided into three separate wings designed for academics, community, and athletics. The three-story building utilizes a similar open-concept layout. Throughout the interior, complementary hues of green, blue, red, and yellow enliven each space with cohesive designs covering the walls and floors. Lining the exterior of the school’s academic wing, brightly colored concrete panel rain screens add color contrast against the rest of the building’s brick façade. Beside the rain screens, large bay windows allow light into the interior of the academic spaces. The inclusion of the windows and the rain screens contributes to daylighting in the academic interior.
With cluster classrooms designed around adjacent learning commons, different styles and methods of delivering education are embraced. The incorporation of project areas with work sinks, circular storytelling rooms, and flexible furniture throughout each educational space further strengthens the school’s commitment to inclusion and diversity. The adjustability of the spaces and furniture both assist educators in facilitating Response to Intervention (RTI) methods to ensure students can learn in a variety of environments made suitable for their needs.
