The site is located near the center of the 64-acre campus, which, in turn, is located in a suburban residential neighborhood. As a result, the project addresses community design issues at both ends of the contextual scale: the region and the school campus.
The design connects to the regional community by serving as a model of sustainable architecture, addressing common concerns such as advanced energy-efficiency, greenhouse gas reduction, water conservation, biodiversity preservation, and resource efficiency.
The project reinforces the character of the existing campus, placing science and student life facilities at the heart of the school community and creating a new quadrangle that provides inviting outdoor spaces and stronger links to other school buildings. Through proportion, texture and color, the new building offers a contemporary dialogue with the historic Main Building nearby.
Two regional bus lines are within a half mile of the school and a commuter train station is within one mile. Bicycle commuting is encouraged with the provision of secure bike parking, bike paths, changing rooms and showers on site. A vanpool is also provided by the school. No additional parking spaces were added as a result of this building; however eight existing spaces were converted to reserved spaces for low-emission vehicles.
