Fales Elementary School

Academic spaces are organized into four distinct zones, each represented by a different ecosystem on site—forest, meadow, marshland, and pond—and a corresponding color palette. Classrooms in each zone feature unique clerestory windows shaped by the architecture of the school’s sawtooth roof. These openings direct daylight into the space and reinforce the design’s strong connection with striking views to the sky above. An undulating pattern of large and small windows create a playful and intimate scale for the young students.

Whimsical, storybook-style wall graphics located in shared spaces and project areas depict the beloved Fales mascot, Annie the Hedgehog, as she travels through the four local ecosystems, encountering various creatures native to each setting along the way. These graphics captivate students’ imaginations, strengthen their connection to nature and cultivate a lively and engaging educational environment. Light-filled interiors, warm natural materials, and thoughtful integration into the school’s surrounding establish Fales as a vibrant, climate-conscious place for learning.

Driven by Westborough’s commitment to sustainability, Fales is the first facility to support the town’s goal of becoming carbon emissions free by 2035, generating 15.75% more energy than required to operate the all-electric school. The design achieves this ambitious target by producing energy via a 25,000 sf rooftop solar array and reducing energy use with a well-insulated building envelope and an efficient ground-source heat pump system (often referred to as geothermal) that supplies space heating, space cooling, and domestic hot water. Westborough worked in close collaboration with National Grid to establish a net-metering contract that allows the school to off-load excess energy generated in the summer and draw electricity in the winter.