VMDO Architects

Manassas Park Middle School, which houses 600 sixth, seventh and eighth graders, is the fourth in a series of five projects. It adheres to an existing master plan that called for the new school to frame a public lawn on a shared middle / high school campus. The middle school had to remain operational throughout construction, so the project was completed in four phases. The result is a unified campus that not only creates a civic center for the community but also allows middle schoolers to capitalize on the high school-caliber resources available on site.

Circulation is organized around a central volume housing the cafeteria / commons (first floor) and library (second floor). A window wall unifies the volume flooding both spaces with even, northern light throughout the day. Students look out across the lawn at the high school beyond, which serves as a constant reminder of their ultimate goal – graduation. The commons serve as a lobby for the adjacent auditorium. The library is flanked by two rooftop terraces that allow students and teachers to gather outside for small-group instruction or individual study.

Grade-level houses collect around teacher resource and small-group instruction areas. The latter serves students and teachers looking for an alternative setting to gather, discuss, study and work. This flexibility allows teachers to structure spaces beyond their classrooms to support various teaching strategies. Key to each is the concept of “visual openness and auditory privacy” that affords students a measure of freedom under the watchful eye of teachers who observe passively from beyond. Three unique, grade-level arrangements create an identity for each.

Recognizing that classrooms are not the only place where learning takes place, small-group instruction areas and reading terraces are coupled throughout the building with spaces for individual study. These spaces are strategically located to invite repose in locations where students can be observed passively by their teachers.

Innovative sustainability options were used throughout the middle school. Unwanted heat gain and glare is tempered on the south façade by a series of passive solar shading devices. Coupled with light sensors these devices create a consistent, full-spectrum learning environment while also reducing operating costs. Interior corridors and small-group gathering areas are lit from above by clerestories and light wells that deflect natural light into the center of the building. An existing Butler building deemed salvageable was transformed into a state-of-the-art theater complete with tiered seating, an orchestra pit and a large stage with wings. An old maintenance garage was transformed into a critical piece of the City’s anti-gang program - athletic facilities for the middle / high school wrestling programs.