'Folded Hands' Plan Picked For New Fuller School Design

FRAMINGHAM, MA—On Sunday, the School Building Committee (SBC) for the Fuller Middle School Building Project narrowed it down to a final plan. They picked “Folded Hands” as the preferred design for the project. By selecting the design on time, the building committee meets a milestone allowing for the city to move forward and submit plans to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

The MSBA is the state agency charged with overseeing and supporting school improvement projects with state grants.

“I’m excited to see our city reach this important decision-making milestone," said Superintendent Dr. Robert Tremblay in a statement. "The realization of a much-needed middle school to replace our tired and inadequate building would be an investment in the community that would benefit generations of students. Placing our highly qualified instructional staff in a school that is designed to challenge our students and prepare them for a lifelong journey is a tremendous gift to our children. With the promise of partial reimbursement from the MSBA, the window of opportunity to move ahead with this long-overdue project is now.”

Fuller Middle School has been functioning for more than 60 years, but it has reached a point that it doesn't meet building codes, has structural deficiencies, inefficient and inoperable systems, and does not adequately support the educational curriculum, say officials. The MSBA has reportedly visited the school and agrees. The MSBA and the city are currently completing a feasibility study, which is the required initial step to explore the school's conditions and develop a cost effective, sustainable, and educationally appropriate solution for the aging Fuller Middle School.

Plans submitted, School Building Committee

The Folded Hands design option offers a new three-story construction with a learning commons/cafeteria at the core surrounded by collaboration balconies fronting a perimeter of classrooms, an 8,300-square-foot gymnasium, 750-seat auditorium, and full-building air conditioning. Additionally, there will be space for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) instructional areas and it is the best option for energy efficiency and open space. No swing space is required during construction which means a lack of neighborhood interference and there will be no need to temporarily move students to an alternative location. The approximate total project cost is $110.5 Million with the City’s share after the grant from the MSBA estimated to be $66.6 Million.