HMFH Architects
Hopkins Elementary School
Hopkinton, MA
- Students 600
- Grades 4-5
- Size 75,000 ft2
The Hopkins School was designed to alleviate overcrowding in the town’s existing elementary facilities. Occupying a site constrained by scattered wetlands, the 75,000 sf school makes optimum use of available land. The result is a two-story building designed to accommodate 600 students in 24 classrooms. Each pair of classrooms shares a special meeting room which can be used for tutoring, special education, and other small group learning.
In addition to regular classroom space, the school also contains a science lab, a project activities room, computer lab and adjacent media center, art room, small music ensemble room, a choral/instrumental classroom, and adjoining the music suite, a stage platform at one end of the cafeteria. By opening a wall between the cafeteria and gymnasium, this stage becomes the focal point of a large assembly space.
Administrative and public spaces are connected to the academic wing by the school's main corridor, which is dominated by a large, open stair. Both the corridor and stair provide playful surprises in the form of windows into other spaces in the school. This transparency provides a visual connection that students find exciting and gives them a sense of ownership in their school.
