Williamstown Elementary/MSBA Model School

Williamstown, MA. | 2000

Selected by the Massachusetts School Building Authority to serve as a “model” elementary school, Williamstown Elementary School is a flexible, efficiently-designed school nestled in a Victorian residential neighborhood.

To reduce the scale of this 88,000sf facility, the massing was broken into three distinct pods positioned to form courtyards perpendicular to a central spine of common facilities. The courtyards let daylight into the central corridor while the library tower celebrates this space and anchors the building to the site. The careful articulation of the façade helps to nestle the building into the residential neighborhood, while its handsome red brick references to the adjacent Williams College campus.

Awards: MSBA School Building Design Award, 2006 and Green School, Mass. Technology Collaborative, 2002

Area: 40,700 sf
Type: K12 Education