Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School
Boston
TLCR Architecture

Programmatic flexibility shows Boston schools are "moving up" in design

© Marc Halevi

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

This 750-student, community-administered pilot school engages "small school" configurations through a variety of innovative layout possibilities. The three-story building can be organized in three ways: up-and-down its three major stairways to form "strand" small schools of 250 students from all grades; horizontally into three "mini-schools" grouped by age; or by academies sorted by interest groups (arts, sciences, ESL). This scheme allows an unusual degree of flexibility to respond to new teaching techniques and curriculum approaches.

With a community group insisting that it not be reminded of the existing "project" which the school replaces, the architects felt free to depart from Boston's three-story brick archetype. "School bus yellow" metal panels grow from a (vandal resistant) striated masonry base to provide a joyful, welcoming image. Younger children inhabit the lowest floor and experience visual ties to their neighborhood, while as students get older they move to the upper floors with expanding views. The "moving up" metaphor is not lost on the kids.

To better reflect the diverse character of the community, both African and European design inspirations inform the massing, stylistic motifs, and interior colors and patterns, and help provide both whimsy and permanence. The corner of the site lies on a heavily trafficked arterial road and serves as a major entry point to the neighborhood. This locus is marked by a high-visibility tower which signals the location of the third floor library/media center, the intellectual heart of the school. The structure now symbolizes the re-energized Orchard Gardens community, along with the city administration's active concern for education in the neighborhoods.

Formal name of Project:
Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School

Location:
Boston

Gross square footage:
144,000 sq. ft.

Total construction cost:
$24 million

Owner:
Boston Public Schools, City of Boston

Architect:
TLCR Architecture
368 Congress Street
Boston, MA 02210
617.451.0066 Tel
617.451.9788 Fax
www.tlcr.com