Scarborough
Middle School
| Scarborough, Maine |
|
| 700
students |
grades
6-8 |
| 105,000
sf |
Completed 1996 |
Built into a gentle
forested knoll at the edge of the existing
campus, this school appears much smaller
than it is. Its cross-shaped plan is dynamic
yet compact. Students enter a sky-lit,
split-level lobby at the core of the school,
adjacent to the Media Center/Library. Four
houses of classrooms occupy two virtually
identical, two-storey splayed wings. The two
remaining spokes complete the pinwheel
parti: the Cafetorium/Music/Arts wing, and
the Special Subjects wing, which culminates
in the Physical Education area.
Both inside and out, materials incorporate
bold pattern and color within the strict
parameters of durability, practicality, and
cost. Common elements are used in uncommon
ways, such as the cobra-head street lamps
which illuminate the main lobby, and
corrugated steel siding painted a custom,
slightly reflective tone.
Photos: Brian Vanden Brink
