HMFH Architects, Inc. completed the Coolidge Corner School in Brookline, Massachusetts with thought given to the space it holds in the community.

Located between a residential area and a busy commercial zone, the newly expanded Coolidge Corner School design evolved from complex educational, historical, community, and site demands. The PreK-8 neighborhood school deftly integrates a historically significant building with a modern educational program and is distinguished as the most energy-efficient public school in the Commonwealth with a projected Energy Use Intensity of 23.3 kBtu/sf/yr.

The design of CCS preserves the original 1913 entrance and adds two new academic wings that frame that historic Devotion House and courtyard. The wings support Brookline’s educational program by allowing grade levels to be grouped together and function as self-contained learning communities within the larger facility. Because most students walk to this neighborhood school and approach from several abutting residential streets, the school is designed to be an inviting place that functions as the heart of the community. Three main entrances converge on a double-height atrium and central stair that provides easy access to core spaces including the gym, cafeteria commons, multi-purpose room and media center.

Outside, moments in the landscape including outdoor classrooms and natural play elements are designed to extend learning beyond the building and through the entire site. With raised planters for student gardens, a rain garden that catches runoff from the building and lets it percolate into the ground, seating made from felled trees on site, and a water play area, students have a full range of opportunities for hands-on explorations that blur the line between learning and play.

Architect: HMFH Architects, Inc.
General Contractor: Shawmut Design and Construction
Photography: Ed Wonsek