HMFH Architects
Andover High School
Driven by a commitment to high-quality education and a well-rounded student experience, Andover is replacing its overcrowded and outdated high school with a new state-of-the-art educational facility that will provide resources for the entire community.
A comprehensive visioning process with students, teachers, administrators, and community members answered critical questions regarding the project scope and established architecture and sustainability-focused goals to inform the design. Interactive workshops, brainstorming sessions with focus groups, and community forums further refined Andover’s vision for a new school that supports a range of teaching and learning styles.
In contrast to the cramped, dimly lit, and unsuitable existing conditions, the design encourages academic exploration in a variety of flexible, light-filled, technology-rich learning spaces. Careful evaluation of options from partial renovation to new construction, weighing the educational, financial, and community impact of each, informed the decision to preserve the existing fieldhouse as a separate structure connected to the main school building via accessible pathways.
The school’s layout features a ‘pod’-based organizational structure for academic spaces. ‘Pods’—a cluster of classrooms, labs, and support space around a central project area—help foster student-centered, interdisciplinary learning and promote a sense of community and belonging within the 1,900-student school. A 9th Grade Academy helps ease the transition from middle to high school.
