It was back to school night for the students at Burlingame Intermediate School, and the first time parents would see their newly opened Classroom Building. The two-story building, with shared break out rooms for each classroom and outdoor learning areas, includes twelve new classrooms as well as a new staff workroom to foster collaborative teaching. Movable walls join two pairs of classrooms for team teaching, larger class activities or special events, and some lower level classrooms have large glass openings to outdoor learning terraces.
The design process brought stakeholders together from the entire school community, including meeting with parents, neighbors, and all teaching staff, but focused around a design committee including teachers, parents, and the principal and facilities director. Since this was the first new building in this small district for many years, we also met frequently with the superintendent and Board to make sure we understood their concerns and that they were kept informed on design progress.
Design of the new classroom building coincided with the District's adoption of new curriculum standards, so our design team was able to closely align the new facility with the District's goals for 21st century learning.