High School Building Options Shared, Pared Down

On October 10, the architectural firm that is working with the High School Building Committee made their first official presentation of the many options for renovating, adding on to, or reconstructing Burlington High School.

Tappé Architects had previously presented several concepts to the Committee, as their investigations into the existing building led to a number of very different possibilities. They then formed those concepts into preliminary options around 233,000 square feet of high school space, excluding the non-educational spaces in the current high school such as BCAT, the Burlington Early Childhood Center, and the central administration offices. The building will accommodate an enrollment of 1,100 students, with a classroom size of about 900 square feet. (Since the high school is not a part of the same funding process as Fox Hill, the district had more flexibility to choose a capacity rather than being forced to use state enrollment projections.)

The team looked at three classes of projects: renovation only, addition renovation (AR), and new construction (NC), with several sub options for the AR and NC classes.

A renovation only would take a phased approach, renovating a section of the building at a time and using modulars for classroom space. This option would include adding courtyards in the center of the building, where currently there are windowless classrooms, in an attempt to let in some natural light.

The various addition renovation options span a number of different ideas, from keeping the gym and building a connected three-story classroom wing while the current building is still in use, to options that would involve completely vacating the building for the three or four year duration of the project and reconfiguring the building's interior.

Similarly, there was wild variation in the options for a new construction, beginning with demolishing the old building and constructing a new school on the same site and including building a fresh academic building in the student parking lot or where the football field is now (an idea that was mentioned at the community conversation at the last Beer Garden) while preserving the current building for the time being.

Representatives from Tappé reminded the Committee that the point of these explorations was to lay out what's possible, a process that generated some outside-the-box solutions. The ultimate feasibility of these options will be assessed and infeasible ones eliminated as time goes on.

The Committee wants more information on how the various options would accommodate those non-educational programs mentioned above, and they'd like to see a side-by-side comparison of the different options and their pros and cons. However, they did eliminate options that would have the entire building vacated, as the Committee agreed this would be a non-starter.

Now that some options have been eliminated, Project representatives will prepare more detailed cost estimates and comparisons of the remaining options for the committee to review in upcoming meetings. With so many options for what can be done, the ultimate decision for what direction the project will take is going to depend on a number of factors, including cost, student displacement, use of space, and more.

The Burlington School Building Committee plans to meet next on November 14. They'll also hold a community information session in November to educate the public about the high school renovation project. The committee aims to gather feedback and address questions before the holiday season.