Consolidated 97,000 SF public elementary school to serve five Maine towns
AUBURN and PORTLAND, Maine – November 10, 2016 – Harriman, a multi-disciplinary design and engineering firm with offices in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, is pleased to announce that it has completed the new 97,000 SF Central Community Elementary School in Corinth, Maine, a consolidated Pre-K to Grade 5 elementary school serving approximately 550 children from the towns of Bradford, Corinth, Hudson, Kenduskeag, and Stetson. The new school replaces five outdated elementary schools previously located in each town, and adds a half-day Pre-K program that was not formerly available in the district. Harriman was hired in 2012 to provide comprehensive programming, planning, and design services.
Constructed on a 70-acre parcel of land already owned by the school district, the Central Community Elementary School is situated a little more than a mile from the district’s middle and high schools. All three schools are located on Route 15 along with new district offices which were incorporated into the new elementary school.
“We are delighted to welcome students to our new elementary facility for the 2016-17 school year. As a community, we came together with the belief that education is a shared responsibility, and a mission to assist each student in reaching their full potential,” said Rhonda Sperrey, superintendent of schools for RSU #64. “Harriman was a pleasure to work with on this project, guiding us each step of the way with their in-depth knowledge of educational facility programming, planning and design. They created a school environment that will not only inspire discovery and facilitate the exchange of knowledge, but they did so under budget and without any delays.”
Harriman’s design features a two-story classroom wing separated from the non-academic spaces. Students in Kindergarten and grades one and two are assigned classrooms on the first floor, and students in grades three, four, and five are housed on the second floor. Five classrooms per grade level are arranged in clusters to support collaboration among the teachers. There are dedicated rooms for special education services, and gathering spaces are available to accommodate multiple classes for common programs. There are 3 Pre-K classrooms located near the front of the school which provides easy access for parents dropping off and picking up their children .
Connected to the academic wing is an interdisciplinary wing, which includes art and music rooms that were previously not available in the elementary schools. A cafeteria with a full production kitchen and a gymnasium are linked by a common stage to offer flexibility with a variety of possible configurations. The cafeteria is designed to be sub-divided into two smaller spaces to allow the space to be used for multiple functions. The school grounds include a multi-use athletic field, an open play area, and three separate playgrounds dedicated to different age groups. Adequate parking is provided for staff and visitors.
The building is situated to take advantage of natural day light. A daylight harvesting system automatically adjusts the level of lighting in classrooms, and corridor and office lighting includes LED bulbs for energy efficiency. A book by Maine children’s author Chris Van Dusen was the inspiration for the color scheme, with muted shades of blue, green, yellow, and orange representing the abundant lakes, rivers, farmland, and trees in the surrounding area.
The heating system consists of a hybrid heating plant, with the primary biomass boiler providing 80% of the peak heat load, and a supplemental propane boiler for additional heat during peak heating periods. The biomass boiler is a wood pellet system complete with storage silos, a conveying system to deliver pellets to the boiler based on demand, and an automatic ash removal system to minimize maintenance. Radiant heat in slabs and all floors and displacement ventilation systems are also in place.
The project team also included Nickerson and O’Day, Inc. of Bangor as general contractor, Stantec in Scarborough for civil engineering, TJM Consulting, Inc. in Yarmouth for food service design consulting, and Edvance Technology Design in Andover, Mass. for technology design. The project was 98% funded by the State of Maine.
About Harriman
Harriman is a multi-disciplinary design and engineering firm with offices in Portland and Auburn, Maine, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Boston, Massachusetts. Combining the legacy of two design firms into an even stronger, more flexible and robust firm dedicated to enhancing the built and natural environment, Harriman and its urban design and planning studio, formerly known as The Cecil Group, are dedicated to providing clients with thoughtful solutions through distinctive design and innovative strategies. Together the firm is a more comprehensive integrated, full-service practice in architecture, engineering, urban design, planning, and landscape architecture. For more information, please visit www.harriman.com.
Media Contact:
Susan Shelby, FSMPS, CPSM
Rhino PR for Harriman
978.985.4541
###
