How will the new school be different from today?   There will be two new buildings sited over the existing main parking lots, with a fully renovated Field House.  New parking lots will be where the current academic buildings are located.  The Field House will be fully renovated on all levels.  The location of the athletic fields won’t change.

The new school will have 40% more core academic space and adds 32,000 total square feet. It will meet the MSBA guidelines for room sizes. It will replace current classrooms as small as 450 square feet with rooms of 850 square feet.  The current Little Theater seats 300, where the new multi-purpose auditorium will seat 600.  Spaces will be arranged around clusters to allow for collaborative and project-based learning, and to provide flexibility for future educational approaches.  Unlike the current campus, the new facility will be fully accessible, Title 9 compliant, and will offer adequate day lighting, ventilation and modern technology.  It will also be far more energy-efficient.  For more detail, see the Educational Specification here, that shows current space as well as new space.

Must we lose the “campus feel” of the current school?  During the Educational Planning and Visioning work this past spring, it became clear that the “campus feel” is highly valued at Wayland High School.  The educational plan called for “meaningful outdoor space” to be incorporated into the design.  However an eight-building campus did not prove economically feasible.  The HSBC chose a two-building design, with multiple courtyards, to retain some of the “campus feel.”  Students will pass between the buildings throughout the day.  For more about the options considered and their costs, see the Fact Sheet on Options Analysis here.

How does the new school compare to the MSBA guidelines?  Wayland’s educational program required some differences from the MSBA guidelines but it is consistent.  For example, we do not offer a vocational/technical program, and so we didn’t need that type of space.  Also, our special education program is a full inclusion program so we didn’t need dedicated classrooms for special ed.  On the other hand, our students take more science and language classes than at other schools, and participate more in music, athletics and co-curriculars.  Overall, the new school will have about 4.5% more space than the guidelines, mostly due to additional core academic space.  The MSBA approved the educational specification.  For more detail, see the Educational Specification here.

Why isn’t Wayland using a model school? The MSBA's model school program is based on the reuse of designs for successfully completed high schools.  The MSBA believes the benefits are improvements in the quality and efficiency of the design process.  The program will not necessarily result in high schools that are smaller or less expensive to those that are custom-designed.  (See their website here for more on this program.)

Early in the Feasibility Study, Wayland and the MSBA assessed the potential for using one of the model school designs for WHS.  It is not economically feasible because the 900-student model school, Ashland, could not fit on the site without either impinging on environmentally sensitive areas, or the existing buildings.  Siting over existing buildings would mean a multi-phased construction project, with temporary space and moves.  The added expense of that would more than erase any design savings obtained from adapting an existing plan.  That is why Wayland is not a good candidate for this program.

Here is a graphic that shows the 900-student model school plan superimposed on the Wayland campus.  The blue building is the footprint of the model school.  The black lines show the existing buildings on campus. 

Where will the new septic system be located?  It will occupy the space just behind the current Little Theater, in a low-lying area protected by trees and landscaping.  New technology will greatly reduce the odors from this system.  There will be opportunities later for the neighbors to learn more about the plan, including a field trip to visit a similar system.

Are we getting all the scope and space we need?  Principal Pat Tutwiler says the physical plant is so deficient he is enthusiastic about the additional scope and space in the plan.  The new facility will add 32,000 square feet and our educators are excited about  many other features.

What is the expected life of the school?  The MSBA standard is 50 years.  This does not mean that every system or component in the school is expected to last that long, and capital projects will still be required during that time.  Flooring, for example, usually has a much shorter expected life.

Will there be problems with snow loads on the flat roofs?  Our design and construction professionals will consider this carefully, and have experience building schools in New England.

Could the auditorium be large enough to accommodate the entire student body?  The Futures Team recommended it, and that was part of the first space request.  However the MSBA did not allow this, as their standard calls for an auditorium large enough for 2/3 the design enrollment.  The entire student body can be accommodated in the Field House.

Is the state giving “green” money for an energy-saving design?  The state requires us to meet the Mass-CHPS certification, similar to the LEEDS program.  These are stringent national standards for “green” school design and construction.  See the MSBA’s web page for more on these programs, here.  It is not clear that Wayland will get additional grant money for this, but that will be researched further in the coming months.

Is the library a walk-through space?  No, it is not a walk-through or shortcut.

How will you control the indoor air quality for interior spaces that lack windows?  Interior spaces will be air conditioned.  All buildings will have an air circulation and ventilation system.

Some of the classrooms are facing north.  Can the building be flipped?  The building is designed to maximize daylighting for classrooms, so they are all around the exteriors of the classroom building.  Most of the north-facing classrooms will get some sun from the east, especially during the winter.

Will the class sizes increase if the rooms are bigger?  What if we wanted to save money by building smaller classrooms?  There is no plan to increase class sizes because of the new facility.  We cannot build smaller classrooms due to the MSBA regulations that dictate minimum classroom size;  however there are smaller and multi-purpose spaces included in the new design that do afford flexibility for different teaching models.

Do you expect we will see the exterior as shown?  Probably not exactly, but the materials will be similar.

Why are the art rooms facing south?  Will the lighting be optimal? The art rooms could not be located on the north side of the Commons Building because the service and loading docks must be there.  However the rooms are designed with a high roof for clerestory windows or skylights for superior day lighting.  

Why are some classrooms facing north?  Will they be heated correctly and efficiently?  The Academic Building has been organized to offer all classrooms direct day lighting.  Exterior walls and windows will have a higher thermal barrier than prescribed by code, so we believe the building occupants will be comfortable in all seasons.  The preliminary energy analysis showed that the additional heating load for those exterior walls would be largely offset by the reduced electrical loads achieved by better day lighting.

Will the doorways and walkways accommodate the most likely traffic patterns?  Yes.

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