Are we there yet?

We get it…we feel and share the collective energy…you want to see drawings…you wonder why we’re still gathering information…you now have a six inch pile of handouts with your doodled sketches of buildings from all the workshops you’ve attended over the past 10 years (and you’re not even an architect!)

We are also mindful of the old expression, “measure twice and cut once.”  The information-gathering phase in which the SBC and design team have been engaged is essential to our comfort that we’ve been as thoughtful, creative, and comprehensive in our approach to the Lincoln School building project as possible.  In addition, the recent hiring of a design team for the Community Center project makes it important to ensure there is time to build collaboration and for everyone to be brought up to speed.

So when will we see some drawings?  Soon.  If August through October has been about collecting data and understanding priorities, then the next 2 – 3 months will be about “visual brainstorming.” This is when SMMA/EwingCole will translate our educational vision, community priorities, and the current conditions in the building into a wide range of renovation and/or new construction possibilities.  We will need the community every step of the way!  This is the phase that fell short in 2012.  If the SBC, designers, and the community are not all engaged in the decision-making, we risk moving in a direction not ultimately supported by the Town.  To help us launch into the next phase, please come to the State of the Town meeting from 9am – 12:30pm on November 4th!

What have we learned? 

• Town Collaboration: The SBC and Community Center committee heard presentations from 8 Town boards about how the work of those boards shapes the priorities for both campus projects. Over the course of two meetings, the SBC hosted presentations from the Conservation Commission, the Disabilities Commission, the Green Energy Committee, the Historical Commission, Parks & Recreation, Planning Board, Public Safety, and the Water Commission. Click here for a recap of the presentations.
• Lessons from the Hanscom Middle School: With the opening of HMS last spring, we’ve been able to see how design influences education. Watch the complete HMS Faculty Interviews video (or a specific clip) that talks about the building, student engagement, teacher collaboration, and a few things they’d do differently. 
• Community Workshops:  The 1st Community Workshop, focused on possible campus layouts, was on October 3rd.  Missed it? Here’s the video of the evening workshop. The second Workshop on October 17th focused on educational vision and sustainability — two topics that were listed as top priorities by respondents to the SBC survey conducted this past summer. 
• Faculty Input:  Educational planners from EwingCole and SMMA joined Superintendent Becky McFall in facilitating two faculty discussions about educational vision and the specific spaces that are required to support the program.  Highlights of the faculty input were in last week’s blog post, How Spaces Impact Learning.
• Student Input: Students were given the opportunity to brainstorm about what they’d like to see in a Lincoln School project. Click on the image to see a slide show of some of their ideas.