Newbury Elementary School

Newbury, Massachusetts

Firm

Drummey Rosane Anderson

Client

Town of Newbury

Area

86,000 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$11,503,000

Completion Date

09/1997

An actively involved school principal and a teaching staff committed to art and music education, defined many interior elements in this school. The accessible ramp in the entry lobby provides a tiered display wall for student art. Fabric-wrapped acoustic panels distributed on the cylindrical wall of the entry lobby and on corridor walls, serve to buffer sound and also provide surfaces to display art. Similar paneling combine with disc-shaped light fistures to form a residential-like design element.
The library, located on the second floor, is open to the corridor to accommodate the Principal’s concept that it be integrated as an apparent resource as opposed to a space apart from other school activities. Additionally, the story room is centrally located near the main entrance to bring the idea of storytelling into
Inadequate water pressure necessitated construction of an underground water tank. To accommodate sewage requirements, a mile-long pipe had to be installed only after careful negotiations were accomplished with the public rail system that owned the land required for the installation route.
The cylindrical entry lobby, reminiscent of the original structure, draws focus to the school’s new main entrance and provides a connection between the existing building and new construction.

Photographer: ©Peter Vanderwarker