Reading Memorial High School

Reading, Massachusetts

Firm

Design Partnership of Cambridge

Client

Reading Public Schools

Area

294,627 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$54,300,000

Completion Date

01/2007

Reading Memorial High School (opened in 1953 and expanded in 1970) needed significant upgrades to accommodate modern learning models and projected enrollment growth. The design addressed this need and incorporates tributes to those that served the country with a unique memorial wall reflecting the school’s namesake.
The new plan captures a former exterior alley between existing buildings to become the primary interior circulation spine known as “Main Street.” It merges indoor and outdoor qualities, providing circulation pathways, meeting places and display areas. A 900-seat auditorium ensures an optimized user experience with advanced acoustic and lighting features.
Other components of the plan include renovation of the fieldhouse—the second largest in Massachusetts—with synthetic surfaces (including basketball courts and a track), and a synthetic football/soccer field with bleachers and a press box. A lobby provides appropriate space for the existing complex and connects back to the main building via pedestrian bridge, which attaches in line with Main Street where the new three-story science and math wing was added. The addition’s lower level houses a cafeteria, kitchen, receiving area and central mechanical plant.