The Ferryway School in Malden, MA, is a $19.9 million, 121,600-square-foot, state-of-the-art educational facility. The combination K-4 elementary school and 5-8 middle school offers its 848 students the latest in modern conveniences inside of a building that blends in seamlessly with the surrounding residential neighborhood.
Combining the elementary and middle schools into a single, though separate, facility affords both schools high-quality resources that neither school would have been able to budget for independently. Each featuring an independent administration area, designated entryway, and identity spaces, the schools are separated by a glazed atrium - complete with a large saltwater aquarium, a suspended bi-plane that spans two of the three stories, and display cabinets that showcase student artwork and science projects.
To accommodate each classroom's minimum of five computers, the building infrastructure supports a fiber-optic backbone for high-speed Internet, as well as specialized science and math software. The latest voice, video, and multi-media technologies are available to all students at Ferryway. Project highlights include:
• An exterior design reflects the New England vernacular characterizing the neighborhood. Incorporating three-story bays and pitched roofs, the façade's brick-patterned house silhouettes reference bordering homes while reducing the building's apparent mass.
• Large stairwells, double-load corridors, and ample enrichment spaces on each floor complement the orderly block of classrooms situated along one side of the building.
• Plantings, pavement upgrades, decorative lighting, a walkway/promenade, and a small parking lot enhance planned open spaces - a rectangular playfield, softball diamond, and tot lot. Once underutilized areas are now recreational amenities the school and community can enjoy.
- Clara M.W. Vangen, Technologies Editor
