Cambridge, MA – HMFH Architects recently hosted 23 sixth graders at the Boston Renaissance Charter Public School (BRCPS) in Hyde Park, Massachusetts for an instructional afternoon at the construction site of their new school.
The Boston Renaissance Charter Public School is the largest charter school in Boston, serving children from 10 city neighborhoods. The school is organized around four specialty areas (athletics, dance, music and art) and accommodates 880 students from grades K-6, including Pre-Kindergarten.
Renovations and construction of the new $24 million facility began in 2009 and will be complete this summer. The 105,000 SF school consists of a renovated three-story mill building and former warehouse and a 15,000 SF addition on a six-acre site in the Hyde Park section of Boston. The project was designed by HMFH Architects Inc. and built by Suffolk Construction.
Hosted by volunteers from HMFH Architects, Suffolk Construction and the organization Just Around the Corner, the group of students toured the Hyde Park neighborhood and then walked through the school. Both the neighborhood tour and the school itself offered a platform for students to learn about their community and discover what goes into the design and construction of buildings.
“It gives us a great sense of pride and inspiration to see kids take an interest in their neighborhood and in architecture,” said Pip Lewis, AIA, principal at HMFH Architects and project manager for the Boston Renaissance Charter School project. “The school is a wonderful laboratory for discovery about design and building. We hope it will build a life-long appreciation for design and how architecture can help strengthen communities.”
Among the many community benefits of the school is the revitalization of a former industrial property, the Hyde Park Industrial Center. The intensive arts-centered program imagines new uses for buildings from three different centuries: a 19th century mill building, a 20th century warehouse, transformed to accommodate the school’s large assembly spaces, and a 21st century kindergarten addition.
After the tour, HMFH Architects gave each student a sketchbook and encouraged the kids to keep a visual diary of their surroundings.