Title: Fairforest Middle School
Location of Proejct: Spartanburg, South Carolina
Project Completion Date: July 2019
Firm Name: McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture

Short Description: Due to evolving educational and technological trends, coupled with the County’s growing population, a new Middle School was envisioned to replace the existing facility. The state-of-the-art 240,000 SF building can accommodate up to 1,100 students—nearly 200 more students than enrolled at the project’s inception. The facility serves students from sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM). The design team had to carefully consider programming spaces that seamlessly intertwined technology, innovation and arts, carefully blending them into the overall design. Educational spaces needed to support this type of curriculum and project-based/experiential learning methods.

Architect's Statement: The school is organized around two strong cross axes that provide easy student movement through the building and clear lines of sight. The administrative and guidance suites line the vertical axis on either side and are directly accessible from a secure entry vestibule. Continuing along this linear path, the 1,200-seat gymnasium and 400-seat multi-purpose cafeteria flank either side. Along the central cross-axis corridor lies the academic portion of the school. This is comprised of three grade level communities and a fourth programmatic center consisting of the fine and related arts. Perhaps the most defining feature of the school, and one that represents the school’s focus on STEAM education is the 100-seat planetarium. Over the course of the first year, the planetarium welcomed 11,000 student visitors. It services not only this School’s students but is a district-wide amenity for all to enjoy.

The new school sits on a historic site that was once home to an African American High School during the days of segregation. Taking into consideration the storied history of the site, the design pays homage to the old High School and contains a special tribute to the final class with a letter written by the Principal. The school represents 21st century education while appreciating the history where it sits.

LEARNING
The design team developed a “housing” concept which clusters students by each grade level. Through this, students are able to engage with peers in a “community” like setting where communities are organized around a flexible learning common area. This space is used daily for a variety of activities including morning announcements and presentations, as well as a break out space for instruction. These spaces open to an outdoor gathering space and project patio, encouraging exploratory and experiential learning methods in a group setting. While each grade is separated, the long and spacious corridors allow for ample interactive zones and collaborative areas for students across all grades.

The Arts. A dedicated Related Arts House serves as a hub for all fine and related art disciplines and further develops the STEAM mission. Here, students are exposed to the visual arts, drama, dance, orchestra, and the band. While there is a hub dedicated to related and fine arts, the school ensures that art and creative spaces are sprinkled throughout the school. The 400-seat cafeteria features a platform for performances and presentations with a partition to create two distinct separate spaces if needed.

Planetarium + Integration of Technology.
As a STEAM-focused school, the intersection of education, technology and innovation is paramount to the design. The design team worked closely with all those involved to deliver a state-of-the-art 100-seat facility. The space features a 40’-wide dome and a Spitz SciDome IQ 4K laser projection system with 3D-movie capabilities. A 15’-diameter observatory on site houses a telescope that can shoot live video feed into the planetarium. The planetarium is not limited to astronomy use only, it is also available for science and social studies presentations, and available for schools across the district.

The media center, prominently located on the second floor of the building, integrates the latest technological tools and software programs for students’ use. The design team created an open floor concept for this space to provide flexible configurations, whether it be group or individual study sessions.

Innovative Design Features.
Part of the design intent was to have the building serve not only as an educational facility, but to serve as a learning tool. Exposed ceilings show the structural design, while conduit pipes and HVAC connections and systems seamlessly blend in to the overall aesthetic. The mechanical and data closets feature windows that allow students to see the equipment and the overall complexities of the systems. The School’s exposed ceiling, mechanical and plumbing features, as well as the electrical components show students the complexities involved in their beautiful school and stimulate constructive imagination.

In addition to the engineering systems being used as a design mechanism, a unique feature of the school includes the use of terrazzo. The school floor plan features many complex curves and angles, and the terrazzo layout adds more curves and intricate designs within that. The curving corridor that crosses the entire school features a sine-wave in the terrazzo design that follows the hall’s curvature. A 40’-diameter school logo greets students, staff, and visitors as they enter the building. The logo features the mascot and is installed in terrazzo where the main corridors cross.

COLLABORATION AND TEAMWORK
Collaboration and engagement among the project team and various stakeholders including the School Board, administration, staff, and students was critical to the success of the project. The process involved a lengthy and planning process due to the high level of design, integration of technology, and state-of-the-art educational space.