East FairhavenElementary School

Fairhaven, MAElementary School

Project of Distinction SubmissionHMFH Architects, Inc.

2008 Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture

East Fairhaven Elementary School

Community Environment:Amenities and ArtisansEast Fairhaven Elementary School replaces a worn-out eyesore of a building that previously occupied the same site and improves the surrounding neighborhood by offering better playing fields and a superior community center, as well as taking traffic off the street. Architect, school, contractor, and a local artisan cooperated to create and install original, student-painted tiles in the corridors. The library recalls Fairhaven’s seafaring history with a magazine pylon in the shape of a buoy. HMFH’s library plan also incorporates a sculpture of a whale commissioned by a local artisan.

Exterior, with view of classroom wing’s tall windows

Learning Environment:Ease of UseEast Fairhaven Elementary’s design focuses on ease of use, supporting the school’s mission of providing a positive, encouraging environment for each individual student. The school is organized around a very simple plan that offers easy navigation for even the youngest users, allowing students to feel a sense of ownership of their school. The many internal windows allow students to peek at the goings on in the classrooms and shared facilities around them, contributing to a sense that different kinds of learning are happening all the time throughout the building.

Corridor, featuring student-created tiles and student art display

Learning Environment: Flexible DesignExposed structure and ductwork are painted in bright colors and illustrate tangibly for young users how their school is put together. Classrooms are grouped by grade level and include connecting doors between like classrooms, facilitating an easy sharing of resources and learning opportunities. Flexibly designed square classrooms equipped with building-wide wireless access allow learning stations to be arranged in a variety of ways, accommodating each teacher’s style and goals.

Cafeteria, featuring brightly painted ductwork and tall windows

Physical Environment:A Sense of OwnershipThe new East Fairhaven Elementary is highly user-friendly, but also just plain friendly. Unique “happy face” windows greet users as they approach the school, announcing from afar that this is a place children can call their own. Playful use of color abounds within the school, also serving a utilitarian purpose as a navigation tool. Student-created tiles allow children to find themselves in the building itself. Vibrant daylighting, beaming in from tall, low-sill classroom windows as well as in the corridors, library, and cafeteria, reduces the need for artificial light, with the assistance of automation that dims the lights when sufficient daylight is present. Child-scaled spaces, such as the library reading nook, further allow students to take ownership of their new school.

Library reading nook, with view of “happy face” windows

Planning Process:Economic and Design SuccessEast Fairhaven Elementary School an economic as well as a design success story, thanks to a successful and communicative planning process. The owner’s project manager made the aggressive budget known from the first meeting. The team at HMFH then embraced its mission: to create a school with full amenities and an inviting, distinctive appearance that surpass expectations of a school so inexpensively constructed. The resulting design was able to incorporate input from teachers about their preferred classroom setup and was completed ahead of schedule and on budget. It features attractive and unique design elements, yet holds the distinction of being the most economically constructed new school in Massachusetts since 2004.

Library, featuring vibrant daylighting and use of color

Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture 2008 Project Data

Submitting Firm : HMFH Architects, Inc.Project Role Prime ArchitectProject Contact Pip Lewis, AIATitle Project ManagerAddress 130 Bishop Allen DriveCity, State or Province, Country Cambridge, MA 02139Phone (617) 492-2200

Joint Partner Firm:Project RoleProject ContactTitleAddressCity, State or Province, CountryPhone

Other Firm:Project RoleProject ContactTitleAddressCity, State or Province, CountryPhone

Construction Firm: Agostini Construction Co., Inc.Project Role ContractorProject Contact George AgostiniTitle CEOAddress 241 Narragansett Park Drive City, State or Province, Country East Providence, RI 02916Phone (401) 431-1200

Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture 2008 Project Details

Project Name East Fairhaven Elementary School 

City Fairhaven

State Massachusetts

District Name Town of Fairhaven

Supt/President Robert N. Baldwin, Superintendent

Occupancy Date September 2007

Grades Housed  PK-5

 

Capacity(Students)  475

Site Size (acres)  15.2

Gross Area (sq. ft.)  74,000

Per Occupant(pupil)  155 sf/student

gross/net please indicate  gross

 

Design and Build?  yes

If yes, Total Cost:  14,006,000

Includes:  construction and fee

 

If no,  

Site Development:  

Building Construction:  

Fixed Equipment:  

Other:  

 

Total: 14,006,000