Mt. Ararat High School; Topsham, ME

The project included a high school for 750 students, an 8-lane competition track, and a turf field.

Educational Specifications from the School District called for variety in the learning spaces in the school, including expanded hands-on classrooms and seminar rooms.

The school was oriented to celebrate the natural beauty of the site, and the classroom wings open to green space and a pond that are both used for outdoor learning opportunities.

Education Planning forums conducted with staff and students revealed the desire for a hub in the building that housed their Dining and Learning Commons spaces.

The Dining Commons opens to an outdoor space and to the “Main Street” and lobby, creating a welcoming, light-filled space for community events.

The Learning Commons is central to the culture of Mt. Ararat High School. Biophilic features are employed to create a welcoming and calming organizing feature in the heart of the school. The upper-level corridor overlooks the Learning Commons and capitalizes on borrowed light to create casual gathering and collaboration spaces for the students.

Stakeholders championed making learning visible throughout the building. In the main lobby, two makerspaces are stacked at the central stair with activities in them on full display. Borrowed lights and sliding doors open the art makerspace up for showcasing project-based learning.

A 250-seat flexible forum is used throughout the day by students and in the evenings by community organizations, making it one of the most highly used spaces in the building.

The Energy Dashboard tracks building system data such as temperature delta for the geothermal wells, PV array performance, and building energy use. Through this, the building can be employed as a teaching tool.

The Learning Commons connects the two academic wings of the school.