Author: Caroline Dolan

Josiah Quincy Upper School Wins Top Award from Learning by Design Magazine

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

Josiah Quincy Upper School Wins Top Award from Learning by Design Magazine

Award

We’re pleased to share that the new LEED Platinum certified Josiah Quincy Upper School (JQUS) earned a Grand Prize Award from Learning by Design for its thoughtful student- and community-focused design. The Grand Prize is the program’s top award, recognizing projects from across the country that demonstrate exceptional educational architecture.

“The school’s design masterfully integrates a multi-story educational facility within a compact urban site, demonstrating innovative use of space in a dense, historic neighborhood.”

Jury Comments | Learning by Design

Learning by Design’s Educational Facilities Design Awards highlight PK-12 and post-secondary learning environments that solve unique design challenges, promote sustainability, and enhance education for all. The awards jury panel, comprised of architects, educators, and leaders in the educational design space, commended JQUS for its thoughtful vertical programming on a tight urban site, varied outdoor learning environments and public-facing amenities, and efficient, low-carbon design.

As a Grand Prize winner, JQUS earned special recognition for addressing six critical aspects of a successful learning environment:

  • Design challenges and innovation
  • Sustainability and social impact
  • Interior architecture
  • Next generation learning
  • Effective space planning
  • Community needs

These principles are present throughout the design, which expertly weaves educational and sustainability goals in a high-rise facility that welcomes students and community members alike with spaces including a coveted green roof, a double-height, light-filled cafeteria, and flexible classrooms and project areas that accommodate a range of learning and teaching methods.

“Outdoor classrooms, gardens, and rooftop spaces promote movement, hands-on learning, and well-being. Thoughtful vertical stacking and interstate mitigation create a cohesive, high-performance educational environment.”

Jury Comments | Learning by Design

Reaching New Heights: Josiah Quincy Upper School is Boston’s First LEED Platinum Public School

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

Reaching New Heights: Josiah Quincy Upper School is Boston’s First LEED Platinum Public School

We are thrilled to announce that our design of the new Josiah Quincy Upper School for the City of Boston has recently earned LEED Platinum certification! It is only the second publicly-funded school project in Massachusetts, after our design of the Saugus Middle High School, to earn this designation. 

This significant achievement reflects the school’s high standards for efficiency, resiliency, and environmental health as one of the first projects to open under the Green New Deal for Boston Public Schools initiative.

Fossil Fuel Free & Efficient

The building is powered entirely by electricity with efficient heat pump technology, meaning no fossil fuels are used for heating, cooling, or cooking in the school. A well-insulated envelope and optimal window-to-wall ratio minimize energy use from heating and cooling, while most academic spaces have north- or south-facing windows to create optimal daylighting conditions and reduce the need for artificial lighting. Daylight controls and vacancy sensors in classrooms and offices further limit energy expenditure by automatically dimming lights when there is sufficient daylight and turning lights off when a space is unoccupied.

Indoor Air Quality

With few buildable sites for a new school building in Boston’s dense downtown core, JQUS was conceived as a high-rise school on a constrained urban plot adjacent to two highways. From the outset, mitigating the effects of the site’s air pollution was key to creating a healthy and successful learning environment. An efficient displacement ventilation system, enhanced air filtering, and intakes located on the school’s roof and away from the most significant pollution sources assures that clean outdoor air is supplied to all interior spaces.

Design for Equity & Well-Being

JQUS is a middle high school with a 96% minority student body. The school’s auditorium, black box theater, gym, and media center are designed to serve all students in grades 6-12 as well as the community for after-hours events. Despite the constraints of the school’s less than one-acre urban site, the design fosters a connection to nature and prioritizes student well-being through the design of an accessible landscaped rooftop. Complete with an outdoor STEM classroom, gardens, and walking paths, the rooftop provides space for movement, hands-on project work, and mindful contemplation. Gardens with native species of meadow grasses and hardy wildflowers connect students with the local ecology and student planting beds provide hands-on experience growing food.

Resiliency & Water Conservation

All critical mechanical equipment is raised above the first floor to ensure the building’s continued operation and mitigate risk in a potential flood or large storm event. JQUS is designed to preserve groundwater levels with a stormwater detention system under the building that recharges stormwater back into the ground. In addition, the plantings on the roof help to slow stormwater runoff, reducing the chance that drains would be overloaded in a storm event, and low-flow fixtures throughout the building conserve about 240,000 gallons of water annually.

IRA Tax Credits Provide Powerful Incentives for Investing in Sustainable Technology Design

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

IRA Tax Credits Provide Powerful Incentives for Investing in Sustainable Technology Design

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 provides investment and production tax credits for building owners who invest in clean energy systems. These credits are meant to incentivize building clean energy systems in newly constructed buildings, and in existing buildings transitioning to clean energy design.

Now, for the first time, tax-exempt and governmental entities that do not owe federal income taxes are able to file directly for tax credits. For decades these tax credits have been available to for-profit businesses transitioning to the clean energy economy themselves or assisting non-profit entities in that transition. This is a significant change for municipalities building or upgrading their school or other facilities.

HMFH has a long history of partnering with municipalities to achieve their sustainability goals. Now we are able to help our clients take advantage of the IRA tax credit. Recently we helped the Town of Westborough, MA secure a $1.8 million tax credit for the ground-source heat pump system at Annie E. Fales Elementary School—the first energy net-positive elementary school in New England—and we are working with Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School to file for tax credits related to electrochromic glazing, three different PV systems, and potentially for EV charging. HMFH is committed to making the design and construction of buildings with a minimal carbon footprint affordable for all cities and towns seeking to create healthier and more sustainable learning environments.

“The partnership with HMFH Architects has been extremely advantageous. The Town of Westborough is excited that the Annie E. Fales Elementary School is the first municipal school project in Massachusetts to receive the financial benefit of the IRA tax credits. We hope that this expanded tax credit program continues to offer non-profit entities the same financial benefit as has existed for for-profit entities to enable more sustainable building projects.”

Stephen Doret | Chair, Westborough School Building Committee

Planning for these tax credits—and managing eligibility requirements—can seem complex and burdensome, especially for municipalities already stretched for administrative resources. HMFH helps navigate the steps by explaining the opportunity for the credits during the initial cost/benefit analysis that informs design-phase decision-making. We then work closely with municipalities and construction partners to monitor the process from early conceptual design through post-construction when taxes are filed.

In a time where construction costs continue to rise, IRA tax credits can help municipalities get faster paybacks for sustainable systems they desire. Below are examples of general tax credit highlights:

The value of tax credits

 

Typical of tax-related regulations, there are number of variables that determine the potential value of the tax credits. The math is based on accruing percentage levels based on meeting various criteria. The percentages are applied to both the soft (design) and hard (construction) costs. The base tax credits starts at 6% of the eligible costs and this number can rise to as much as 70%. Most projects will end up close to a 30% tax credit, but if domestically produced content criteria are met that could increase it to 40%, and if the community meets certain income criteria, that could increase it to 50%. If funds to pay for the work are sourced from tax-exempt bonds, there will be a 15% “haircut” or reduction of the tax credit to reflect that original savings in financing costs.

Timeline

The process for tax credits typically runs in parallel with the design phase associated with a project’s schedule. While the timeline for every new building or new system is driven by unique requirements, it is important to remember that no credits will be paid until the clean energy systems are installed and in service and the final tax documents are filed.

Despite the opportunities for substantial tax credits, some municipalities simply may not have the up-front resources to take advantage of them. This does not mean they need be shut out of cost-saving opportunities related to investing in clean energy systems. Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) allow municipalities to partner with companies who manage the design, construction, and operation of these systems end-to-end in collaboration with the design team. The contracted company offering the PPA then takes the tax credit for itself and sells energy (or an agreed to dollar value savings) directly to the municipality, often selling any excess energy generated by the building on the open market. It’s a profit generator for the PPA company and helps communities who may have early cash-flow challenges keep energy costs low. The true benefit of the IRA is that non-profits and municipalities can now take advantage of the full potential savings – both for installation and operation of these energy efficient systems.

HMFH can help guide communities through a process to determine appropriate systems and mitigate financial risk for building owners wishing to design more climate resilient schools with a reduced carbon footprint and lowered, long-term energy costs.

Sources:

  1. https://www.mass.gov/info-details/inflation-reduction-act
  2. https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/frequently-asked-questions-about-the-qualifying-advanced-energy-project-48c-credit

Arlington High School Phase Three Opens

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

Arlington High School Phase Three Opens

With the completion of phase three, Arlington High School‘s new state-of-the-art athletics wing and black box theater are open to students and community members! The school is now fully occupied, with only site work remaining as the final step in this multi-phase project.

Central Spine

Arlington High School’s central spine is an activity hub and dynamic concourse connecting the school’s two main entrances. With the completion of phase three, the spine now links the school’s four wings—STEAM, humanities, performing arts, and athletics—with public-facing spaces including a café, auditorium, black box theater, and cafeteria. The central spine welcomes students and community members alike with a student-designed mural along the gymnasium wall, showcasing student creativity and expression.

Athletics Wing

The athletics wing includes a new fitness center, gender-neutral locker rooms, and three gymnasiums of varying sizes to accommodate the school’s 30 athletic teams and robust physical education program. A large wood-floor, light-filled gymnasium can host school-wide assemblies, and with a full basketball court, walking track, and bleacher seating for 2,100 people, supports a range of other school and community events. Unique elements in the alternative rubber-floor gymnasiums include an indoor climbing wall and batting cage.

Black Box Theater

The new black box theater is a double-height, flexible performance space with theatrical lighting and sound equipment, catwalks, and stage flooring. With retractable seating for 150 people, the black box supports a range of programs, from one-act plays and productions to daily drama classes, expanding Arlington’s performing arts opportunities. The stone entrance portico of the Arlington High School’s 1914 Fusco Building was repurposed as the entrance to the black box theater, paying tribute to the school’s history.

“The new building has a college-like feel that helps me be more independent and motivated. All the light and open space is very inspiring.”

Student | Arlington High School

This fall, new athletic fields, parking, and site work will complete Arlington High School’s four-phase construction! Follow the AHS building project website for frequent updates.

Our Leadership Team is Growing

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

Our Leadership Team is Growing

We are pleased to announce the promotions of Bobby Williams and Liza Bouton to Principal and Senior Associate, respectively. With these promotions, we continue to grow and diversify HMFH’s leadership, while recognizing each individual’s experience, expertise, and contributions to the firm. 

Bobby Williams AIA, LEED AP

Bobby is a visionary leader who has long played an integral role in evolving HMFH’s design practice. With an innate design sensibility, background in finance, technical expertise, and project management skills, Bobby’s strength lies in leading large, complex educational projects.

Throughout his 15-year tenure at HMFH, he has overseen all aspects of the design and construction of projects ranging in size and complexity—from Boston’s new downtown high-rise school to child-centric elementary schools. The depth of his experience designing vocational and career technical schools is evident in many of the firm’s recent, award-winning projects including Bristol County Agricultural High School’s renewed campus, the new Dover High School and Regional Career Technical Center, and the new Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School which is in construction and slated to open in the fall of 2026.

Above all, Bobby maintains a deep commitment to both his clients and colleagues. He is a natural mentor and an invaluable resource to all those in the office. His personable, team-oriented approach makes him a vital force, not only driving continued growth at HMFH but fostering an inclusive, engaging, and collaborative environment.

Bobby believes that lasting relationships are the foundation of any successful project as his commitment to cultivating meaningful relationships shows. He brings humor and enthusiasm to every project, earning the trust of colleagues, collaborators, and clients alike.

Liza Bouton, LEED AP, Marketing Manager

Since joining HMFH in 2011, Liza quickly expanded her role and that of the marketing department to be integral to all we do and all aspects of our project work. Today she leads the firm’s marketing and business development efforts. She guides HMFH’s communications to ensure that we remain agile and responsive in the face of an ever-evolving industry, while consistently producing high-quality content that promotes HMFH’s values and expertise.

Liza is both detail-oriented and a big-picture thinker. She prioritizes working collaboratively with project teams and leadership to share the firm’s diverse stories. She sees opportunities everywhere and helps us to see them too. Her organizational skills keep us on track, her penchant for storytelling supports our project award-winning efforts, and her sense of the “now” keeps our communications forever fresh and relatable.

Her approach to business development focuses on building strong client relationships and identifying opportunities that further HMFH’s commitment to educational design excellence.

“These promotions reflect significant contributions in project leadership, business development, and marketing efforts, ensuring that we deliver the highest level of design excellence to our clients.”

Lori Cowles | President and Principal, HMFH Architects

Learning from the Ground Up: Bristol-Plymouth Students Tour Construction of their New Technical School

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

Learning from the Ground Up: Bristol-Plymouth Students Tour Construction of their New Technical School

What could be better for kids attending a technical school than to witness the construction of their new facility in real time? That’s the opportunity now available to students at Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School in Taunton, MA, where students have been invited to participate in a series of construction tours run by HMFH in partnership with the school and the project general contractor, Consigli.

Tour groups range in size from 24 to 40 students. Each tour focuses on a different building discipline, such as HVAC, metal fabrication, plumbing, and electrical, with HMFH team members and other guides walking students through the details of each discipline and how it will function in different spaces throughout the new facility.

By visiting Bristol-Plymouth during its construction, students have the unique opportunity to view the intricacies of a new project from the ground up, getting a rare, first-hand glimpse into the core facets of building science. For example, students can see the real-life implementation of the work relevant to their particular technical program, ask questions, and connect the dots between their academic curriculum and real-world professional applications. For many students, this experience can bridge the gap between theory and practice, giving them a direct link to better understand how their shop-based learning can translate to a real-world career. HMFH and Consigli take further steps to empower students by connecting them with companies working on the Bristol-Plymouth project to help jump-start post-graduation job searches. This is particularly helpful for the senior class who is poised to enter the workforce next summer.

The new Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School is scheduled to open to 1,434 students in 2026, bringing advanced facilities to grades 9 through 12. Notably, the school will offer 19 specialized technical programs designed to equip students with skills applicable to various career paths. The building is on track to achieve LEED Gold certification, with a projected Energy Use Intensity (pEUI) of 29 kBTU/sf/yr, underscoring its focus on sustainability and energy efficiency.

HMFH is passionate about cultivating the next generation of building industry professionals. In addition to facilitating internship and mentoring programs, we participate in multiple community programs to inform young people about the wide range of career paths available in our industry and connect them with the skills and opportunities to pursue them.

Josiah Quincy Upper School Opens and Brings New Opportunities to Boston’s Chinatown Neighborhood

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

Josiah Quincy Upper School Opens and Brings New Opportunities to Boston’s Chinatown Neighborhood

Boston’s newest public school building is officially open, with learning in full swing for 650 students across grades 6-12. Located in Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood, the Josiah Quincy Upper School (JQUS) advances the City’s goals for high-level, inclusive education and environmental sustainability, providing Boston Public Schools students with state-of-the-art learning facilities that also serve the local community.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony brought city, state, and school officials, project team members, and the JQUS community together to celebrate the new middle high school and the many opportunities it will bring for both Boston students and residents. As one of the first projects to open under the Green New Deal for Boston Public Schools, JQUS is leading the way with a design that prioritizes equity, sustainability, and a community focus. The school is also on track to achieve LEED Platinum certification, further cementing its status as a model for resilient, sustainable architecture.

“If you think about a school as the physical embodiment of all the talent, imagination, and possibility of the young people it serves — that is this building!”

Michelle Wu | Mayor, City of Boston

One focal point of the school’s environment- and community-focused design is the new rooftop green space. HMFH’s design transformed the high-rise school’s rooftop into an outdoor learning oasis, complete with a STEM classroom, native plantings, walking paths, and seating areas. Located near two highways on just one acre of land, JQUS’s site in a dense, urban environment initially presented challenges. However, the rooftop brings new life to Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood, which has the lowest green space per capita in the City. The benefits of this landscaped roof will not only positively impact the student body but the entire neighborhood community who can also experience health and climate benefits. Specifically, the green roof will help reduce urban heat-island effect and stormwater runoff, increase biodiversity, and mitigate air pollution from the highway.

HMFH’s nature-focused design extends beyond the rooftop. Inside the school, south-facing classrooms with expansive windows deliver ample daylight to students, while an innovative HVAC system draws in filtered air to ensure a healthy interior environment with optimal air quality in all classrooms.

Notably, the all-electric, zero-carbon middle high school will be a resource for the greater community as well as its student body, allowing public access to community-oriented shared spaces on the first and second floors, including the cafeteria, media center, black box theater, auditorium, and gymnasium.

“This state-of-the-art facility represents our unwavering commitment to providing a world-class education in an environment that nurtures and inspires.”

Mary Skipper | Superintendent, Boston Public Schools

While the ribbon-cutting signifies JQUS’s official opening, students had returned to school a week earlier and have since been enjoying the new facilities, including collaborative project areas, modern labs, small group workrooms, breakout areas, and flexible furniture designed to support a variety of learning modes. With its full range of educational amenities and International Baccalaureate program offerings, its emphasis on sustainable, healthy, and welcoming environments, and its public-facing spaces for community use, the Josiah Quincy Upper School will be an often-used and highly valued resource by both students and the surrounding neighborhood.

Middle High Schools Help Communities Make the Most of Educational and Financial Resources

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

Middle High Schools Help Communities Make the Most of Educational and Financial Resources

When faced with replacing or modernizing aging middle and high schools, communities must grapple with significant financial and educational challenges. In many cases, particularly where existing schools are small, it makes sound financial and educational sense to combine academic programs into a single facility. Below are a few of the strategies that HMFH incorporates when working with school districts and communities to design co-located middle high schools.

Efficiency Through Shared Spaces

Designing middle high schools creates the opportunity for districts to share essential spaces, thereby eliminating the duplication of facilities such as:

  • Kitchens
  • Gymnasiums, alternative physical education spaces, fitness rooms, outdoor sports fields and tracks
  • Theaters and auditoriums
  • Music spaces including chorus and band rooms
  • Media centers or libraries

If these facilities were built separately, each school would need its own, leading to higher construction and operational costs. Additionally, by combining the schools, expensive but often infrequently used spaces such as theaters or auditoriums can achieve cost effectiveness simply by increasing utilization rates. In these cases, middle school students also benefit from having access to sophisticated performance and assembly spaces not typically available in standalone middle school buildings.

Operational, Environmental, and Logistical Improvements

Beyond construction cost savings, co-locating middle and high schools results in operational efficiencies as well. A shared mechanical plant, for instance, lowers ongoing facility-wide expenses, requires fewer personnel to manage its services, and leads to a significant reduction in long-term expenditures. Equally valuable, shared HVAC and electrical systems almost certainly reduce a facility’s overall energy expenditure, creating opportunities for minimizing the school’s environmental impact.

Combining middle and high schools also allows for more efficient transportation to and from the facility. Buses can serve both student populations, reducing the number of trips required while lowering transportation costs and reducing fuel consumption.

Educational Benefits of Co-located Schools

While the financial benefits are compelling, the educational advantages of a combined middle and high school are equally significant. Shared facilities mean students experience fewer transitions between buildings throughout their educational career. Transitioning from middle to high school can be a challenging time for students, and a combined school can provide a more fluid educational journey.

A combined school also creates opportunities for increased collaboration among educators. Middle and high school teachers can work together more effectively, gaining a deeper understanding of their students’ needs and academic progress. This collaboration can lead to more personalized and consistent support for students as they move from one grade to the next.

Additionally, middle school students in a co-located school may have access to high school-level classes and specialized spaces such as maker spaces, robotics labs, career technical education (CTE) shops, and advanced science labs. These resources, which are typically unavailable in standalone middle schools, enrich the educational experience and provide early exposure to advanced course work. For high school programs that feature strong CTE opportunities, a middle school population can serve as a feeder, introducing students to career pathways earlier in their academic careers.

HMFH Advances the Middle High School Model

When designing middle high schools, we use strategies that result in optimal educational experiences, cost savings, operational efficiencies, and lowered energy consumption. Our expertise in designing for this relatively new program type continues to grow. To date, we have completed eight middle high schools, including the award-winning Saugus Middle High School and the Josiah Quincy Upper School for the City of Boston. And we are currently in design for the first Middle High School in the State of Rhode Island.

The advantages of combined middle high schools are clear in addressing the challenge of modernizing or replacing aging school facilities. HMFH meets these challenges with design expertise and a passionate commitment to creating schools that offer long-term benefits to students, teachers, administrators, and the communities where they stand.

HMFH Bus Tour 2024

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

HMFH Bus Tour 2024

Every summer, HMFHers come together for our annual bus tour to visit several of the firm’s projects in construction. The tradition looked a little different this year as we traded the bus for the subway to visit two local projects. Our first stop was the Josiah Quincy Upper School, a new high-rise school in Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood that will welcome students, staff, and the community this fall. In the afternoon, we hopped on the train back to Cambridge, MA to tour an addition and renovation that will provide much-needed affordable housing for the City.

Josiah Quincy Upper School

Now in the final stages of construction, the grade 6-12 Josiah Quincy Upper School will open to students for the 2024-2025 school year, bringing expanded educational opportunities with spacious, light-filled learning and common areas and a coveted rooftop green space that supports student well-being. Public-facing amenities near the ground level, including a cafeteria, media center, gymnasium, auditorium, and black box theater, will make this school a valuable resource for the entire Chinatown community.

Everyone was thrilled to see our design solutions come to fruition, from the accessible green roof, which is the school’s primary outdoor space, to the cantilevered auditorium and gymnasium that define prominent public programs along the façade.

116 Norfolk Street: Supportive Housing

Next, we made our way to the 116 Norfolk Street: Supportive Housing project, a renovation and addition to a 1907 building in the heart of Cambridge, MA, just a stone’s throw away from HMFH’s office. As one of the first developments under Cambridge’s new Affordable Housing Overlay (AHO) zoning ordinance, 116 Norfolk expands affordable housing with 62 units for seniors and previously unhoused people.

We toured light-filled common areas in the vestibule between the existing building and addition, as well as different units, which all feature tall ceilings and windows to create a bright and welcoming interior environment.

Pip Lewis is One of GB&D’s 10 Architects Designing for Equity

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

Pip Lewis is One of Green Building & Design’s 10 Architects Designing for Equity

Article

by Kris Vire
originally published to Green Building & Design

Philip “Pip” Lewis grew up in Detroit, and between his home city, visits to relatives in Chicago, and weekend trips to Toronto, by junior high he’d developed a strong interest in the built environment.

“We went to Expo 67, and I saw the fantastic pavilions that were there—the Russian pavilion, Moshe Safdie’s Habitat,” Lewis says. “I got really excited about architecture and design.” At Detroit’s Cass Technical High School, he took advantage of the school’s architecture curriculum, taking classes in drafting and construction.

After completing his master’s degree at MIT in 1981, Lewis was hired as “a junior drafter” at Cambridge’s HMFH Architects. He’s now a principal at the firm, where he’s spent his entire 42-year career. “It’s a very good, comfortable, family-like organization to be in,” he says. “That’s why myself and actually a lot of people have been there for a number of years.”

Part of what makes HMFH’s practice rewarding for Lewis is its focus on designing public and charter schools around New England. “I’ve always said I’m so glad I do schools, rather than luxury condominiums or shopping centers or something like that,” he says. “You always have to go and engage with the community you’re going to build a project in. And it’s so nice engaging with the community to build a school, because in general the communities want the school. It’s not like when they’re out to stop the strip mall that’s going to get built.”

With many stakeholders, not to mention the vagaries of local politics, school projects can take years to come to fruition. One of HMFH’s latest projects is the Josiah Quincy Upper School in Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood. It’s the first permanent home for the school, which was established as a pilot program in 1997 and serves a diverse population. “The school is something like 94% minority,” says Lewis, who’s been attached to the project since 2011; it’s on track to open for the 2024–25 school year.

“We went through four mayors and something like six superintendents of schools to get this project up and running,” Lewis says. Massachusetts’ complicated funding formulas for school construction were a factor, but finding the right site was also a challenge. “We looked at 40 different sites over the years. We had three different false starts where we did a whole schematic design package: traffic studies, zoning issues, hundreds of pages of documents,” only to fall through for various reasons.

“I saw it as an injustice going on, that this minority school was promised something years ago and wasn’t really getting it,” Lewis says. “You found you really had to be an advocate for the school. You had to push.”

The eventual location for the new JQUS facility is on “a tiny site” surrounded by office towers. “It’s less than an acre, an impossibly small site to build a high school on.” It’s also right next to the Massachusetts Turnpike. “Communities of color are always located in the areas that have the worst air quality, and this was no exception.”

By building up seven stories, Lewis and his colleagues were able to incorporate amenities JQUS had previously been missing—including a library, science labs, and a full-size gymnasium—while also addressing environmental challenges. “We’re going to bring fresh air in from as far away from the traffic as we could,” Lewis says. “All the classroom spaces in the building get their air from above the rooftop, facing away from the source of the pollutants,” before passing through MERV 14 filters.

While the school’s small footprint left no room for ground-level outdoor space, HMFH advocated for an 18,000-square-foot open-air garden on the building’s rooftop. “It’s an educational space, an informal socializing space, and also a therapeutic space when kids are in crisis,” Lewis says.

For the JQUS project, one of Lewis’s most anticipated moments will come when the school opens this fall: seeing students encounter “this wonderful new environment, and just seeing the joy and awe in their faces—that’s always been the most rewarding thing.”