On Thursday, May 23rd, Norwood Public Schools invited the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to their new high school building to share the story of the district’s experiences designing and construction its new high school. The Story of a Building series is an annual collaboration between the MSBA and OIG that allows MSBA school districts to share their own experiences and lessons learned with new MSBA school district partners. The day-long program in Norwood was attended by representatives from 19 Massachusetts school districts. Speakers who participated in the event included the designer, Ai3 Architects; the OPM, Compass Project Management; the General Contractor, Agostini Construction; former and current Massachusetts Inspector Generals, Gregory W. Sullivan and Glenn A. Cunha, respectively; MSBA staff involved in the project; and Norwood’s own educators, students, and school building committee members.
The new Norwood High School was the first school designed and built as part of the MSBA’s Model School Program, utilizing an existing design from the Whitman-Hanson Regional High School, also designed by Ai3 Architects, as the model. Replacing the original Greek Revival 1928 historical high school building that faced considerable condition issues and outdated systems, the new 227,000+ square feet facility was officially completed in 2011. Located directly adjacent to the old building, the new structure includes a traditional architectural style featuring design elements that called back to the original history of the site with a cupola clock tower, detailed entryway pediment artwork, ashlar granite stairways, red brick exterior, and pediment columns with facade pilasters.
The day began with a panel discussion and presentation from the project team. Brian O’Donnell, Director of the Regulatory Compliance Division at the OIG opened the first session. Tim Bonfatti, President of Compass Project Management, the OPM firm sheparding the project, was next on the agenda, followed by a team from Norwood Public Schools including administrators, staff, educators, and students who shared their experiences and thoughts on the new school building. A panel discussion with members of the Norwood School Building Committee rounded out the morning session, sharing their lessons learned and perspectives on how to operate effectively as a team. They emphasized the importance of maintaining effective communication and prioritizing cooperation during all phases of project planning and construction, the Committee shared their success story with the audience.
Following lunch, both former Inspector General, Gregory L. Sullivan, and current Inspector General, Glenn A. Cunha, welcomed audience members back with a brief discussion introducing the next topic; building challenges and how to overcome them. As members of the Norwood School Building Committee once again took to the stage, they were joined by MSBA Executive Director, Jack McCarthy and MSBA Director of Capital Planning, Mary Pichetti. The speakers addressed the challenges of constructing a new school on the same site as the former building, integrating intentional programming and design choices into the existing model school plan being used, and prioritizing energy efficiency and organizational strategy to ensure the building performs to the best of its ability. Joining Jack McCarthy and Mary Pichetti on stage, Norwood School Building Committee members shared their perspectives from the school side. The program commenced with an open discussion hosted by Executive Director of the Massachusetts American Institute of Architects (AIA), John Nunnari, who answered questions from the audience about design choices for the new high school and the MSBA’s implementation of the Model School program.
