After determining that many of its school buildings could no longer serve the city's educational needs, the City of Medford hired HMFH to design new buildings for the entire K-8 population. Following Phase I, in which a new middle school and an elementary/middle complex were built on a new site, HMFH designed replacement elementary schools in three strategic neighborhood locations.

The Brooks is one of three new elementary schools that share virtually identical programs, but because of neighborhood considerations, are housed in three very different buildings. The four-story plan includes a short classroom wing that intersects with large core spaces such as the cafetorium and gym. re-K, Kindergarten, and a collaborative special education program occupy the ground floor with direct access to outdoor play areas, and grades 1-5 are housed on the floors above. Each of the upper floors contains a bilingual classroom, ESL room, resource room, small group room, and computer lab. Shared spaces include art, music, a science project room, and the media center.

Brooks sits in a prominent civic location on a main street in the city and has the largest site of the three schools. It replaces a building that held some historic interest for the community and the new building is designed to mimic its curving bays and pitched roof. Art, science, and music occupy the light-filled bays at the front of the school, with the media center above, taking advantage of the soaring roofline.