Brighton, MA – Gensler and Turner Construction teamed up with City Year and the Boston Green Academy in Brighton to redesign and update the school’s multipurpose library space. In addition to hosting the Boston Public School (BPS) system’s second largest circulating library, the library serves as the school’s computer lab, accommodates class sessions and staff meetings, and offers students a place to work on homework and other special projects.
l-r at the Boston Green Academy Ribbon Cutting: Ken Fisher, Gensler; James Hooper, Turner Construction; Millie Lizares, Marcus Hamblin, Joel McCullough, and Valerie Warren, all of Gensler; and Ray Theberge, Colonial Systems.
This is the third collaboration between Gensler and Turner to renovate a BPS school with the help of City Year. This six-month endeavor included project design, coordination with Boston Public Schools, and soliciting in-kind donations from furniture, paint, carpet, and millwork vendors. The project culminated with a three-day “build weekend,” during which more than 80 volunteers performed the demolition, construction, and finish work in the 2,300 SF room.
With sustainability at the heart of the school’s mission, the team used green building materials, reused existing bookshelves and added flexible new furniture that can grow with the school. The school’s triangle-shaped logo, which heralds the three core goals, served as inspiration for the library’s brightly-colored graphics that communicate the school’s mission and core values: equity, economy and environment.
