Designs for middle schools.

Planning to build a new middle school? Here are four different floor plans that support teaming and integrated curriculum.

Changing the name on a building from "Junior High School" to "Middle School" does not create a middle school. Adding another grade to a junior high, or shifting from a grades 7-9 to a grades 6-8 school does not create a middle school. Middle school is not a grade level, not a combination of grades, but a teaching philosophy. It is a philosophy that says teachers

should work in teams with a family of students, helping young adolescents (anywhere from 10 to 15 years old) mature through the difficult formative years from childhood to young adolescence. It embraces different delivery systems for learning. It provides a smooth transition from the self-contained classroom at the elementary level to the departmental approach of most high schools.

Middle schools should have lively, diverse instructional programs that emphasize teaming, integrated curriculum, and "whole student" education. To support that philosophy, make teaming practical and address the need for flexibility. Double loaded corridors, separated science areas, overlarge schools, and inadequate support facilities (such as libraries, cafeterias, gymnasiums, and teacher planning rooms) are all physical problems that make a middle school philosophy difficult to implement.

What should you consider, then, in building, a middle school? Start by answering a few questions: What facilities are needed to make a middle school philosophy really work? Do grades need to be kept separate from one another? How many teams will be housed in each area? What sort of teacher planning areas are needed? How will large-group instructional space and commons areas be used? Are separate rooms for counselors and tutors required? How will special needs students be integrated into the teams? Are operable walls needed between classrooms and commons spaces? How will students' work and other exhibits be displayed? Should public areas, such as the gym and cafeteria, be kept separate from academic areas? Will the community be using the school on a regular basis?

Input on these and many other issues is vital to the planning and design of the school. Other issues that come into play when creating the floor plan include the size of the school, site limitations, concerns regarding pedestrian and vehicular access, and the need for future expansion.

Here are a few examples of functional middle school floor plans, designed by Fanning/Howey Associates, Inc., for four different clients. Each of these plans supports the middle school philosophy, creating environments that are conducive to teaming and the application of integrated curriculum.

The Finger Shape

South Vermillion Middle School in Clinton, IN, features a finger-shaped floor plan that keeps grade levels separate, housing two teams in each wing. Sixth-graders are located near the main entry and administrative offices; eighth-graders are closest to special areas such as art, music, and industrial technology. Classrooms are located on the "quiet" side of the building's site - away from parking and vehicular access, as well as the adjacent high school.

The finger-shaped plan supports middle school educational approaches by housing grade-level teams in separate, linear wings - or "fingers" - that connect to the clustered public areas along the main "spine." The organization of the grade-level wings maximizes natural light along the classroom corridors, with each corridor also containing teacher planning areas and workrooms.

Common spaces can be created for each grade by designing an open area where the academic areas intersect. These can be used for informal team gatherings, social interaction, awards ceremonies, displays, and exhibits.

Noisier spaces, such as the gym, cafeteria, and art/music areas, are kept together in this plan, accessible from the academic areas and via community entrances.

The finger plan is a simple, economical approach that facilitates future expansion - classrooms can be added on to the end of each corridor. In such cases, special attention should be given to the distance of end classrooms from the clustered public areas.

The Pinwheel

The floor plan at Woodridge Middle School in Peninsula, OH, resembles a child's pinwheel, with the academic clusters radiating from the media center. The public zone of the building is housed in a separate wing. Operable walls in each of the academic clusters facilitate team and large-group activities.

In the pinwheel plan and its variations, the media center lies at the center of the building, with academic pods radiating from this vital core. Students within each grade-level pod can easily access the media center, yet remain apart from other grades and the public areas of the building.

Skylights or clerestory windows can be included to bring daylight into the media center; interior windows along the perimeter of this central space extend the light into adjacent hallways and underscore the media center's role as the "hub" of the academic wing.

The Science Cluster

Designed for grade-level teaming, St. Johns Middle School in St. Johns, MI, features a cluster of science classrooms around the media center and directly across from each of the three grade-level pods - enabling the science program to work as a part of the teams and as a department when needed.

The science cluster accommodates this objective by grouping science rooms together, yet positioning them near each of the grade-level academic areas for team involvement. Teacher "prep" rooms with lockable storage can easily be positioned between the two science rooms serving each grade. If daylight is brought into the media center via a skylight or clerestory windows, the light can be extended into the science classrooms through interior windows.

The Multi-Level Plan

Space Coast Middle School in Port St. Johns, FL, features three grade-level houses on the second floor, with the gymnasium, cafetorium, art and music classrooms, media center, vocational and technology education areas, and other support spaces located on the first floor. The houses contain core academic classrooms located around centralized science classrooms and demonstration labs. Exceptional student education classrooms and resource rooms are included within the houses as well. The courtyard - essentially an exterior commons - provides a secure outdoor area that facilitates circulation via an elevator and four exterior stairwells.

Multi-level schools, which may be necessitated by a large student population or a small site, can still achieve the cluster or "house" configuration that facilitates teaming. Major public areas, such as the gym and cafeteria, as well as the media center and other portions of the school that serve all grade levels, are typically located on the first floor to allow community access. Grade-level clusters are located on the second floor, making the academic realm of the school more secure from public access.

In warmer climates, a central courtyard can be included to provide a secure space for students to gather. The courtyard, which enables daylight to be brought into the interior of the school, can facilitate circulation between levels via exterior stairwells. A compact, multi-level floor plan may also generate cost savings in construction, site size, and reduced energy consumption.

Michael N. McCarroll, AIA, and Rene Tercilla, AIA, REFP, are principals with Fanning/Howey Associates, Inc. The firm recently published its third volume on educational facility design: Shaping the Future: Middle Schools. For more information, or to order a copy of the book, call Sharon Poor at 419/586-2292, or visit the firm's web site at <www.fhai.com>.