School As A Community: Havre de Grace Middle / High School

Havre de Grace, Maryland

client

Harford County Public Schools

size

250,111 sf

type

New Construction

Located in historic Havre de Grace, this replacement school brings together two distinct school communities – an existing high school and an existing middle school. The high school was located at the edge of the historic city grid in two buildings bisected by a street, with a stadium and fields also separated by a street, creating safety and security concerns. The middle school was located on the site adjacent to the high school fields. The new facility was charged with creating one academic community, yet provide the ability for the unique identities of the middle and high school populations to be expressed within the school.

The location of the middle and high school academic areas within the school promotes a sense of identity for each school. Administration, media center and dining areas are centrally-located between classroom wings, with the Athletic and Performing Arts wings at either side. A compact, efficient plan and simple circulation patterns enable quick movement from one quadrant of the school to the other.

The school needed to serve the greater Havre de Grace community, and provide a center for educational, cultural, and recreational activities. The buildings facades and interiors reference the essence of the town through materials such as brick and stone found in the local architecture and steel found in nearby railway bridges. A “boardwalk” bisects the parking and bus loop on axis with the main building entry and extends through the building and athletic fields, ultimately connecting to the historic city grid and former high school site.