Good evening! For anyone having difficulty getting the link to the August 1950 Architectural Forum article to load, try this link instead: https://lincolnsbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Smith-School-Article-Archtectural-Forum-Magazine-August-1950.pdf <https://lincolnsbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Smith-School-Article-Archtectural-Forum-Magazine-August-1950.pdf>
— Jennifer > On Sep 12, 2021, at 5:13 PM, kim bodnar <[email protected]> wrote: > > Update: Lincoln School Project > Honoring our History, Building Our Future > > Honoring Our History…Building Our Future. This statement has been at the head > of every blog post since 2017, but how does it really relate to the project? > Since the beginning of the project, the School Building Committee (SBC) has > collaborated with about a dozen town boards and departments, and this work > has helped to shape a project that serves our educational goals and advances > the town’s commitment to sustainability, while reflecting the history of the > building and the campus. > > One of the SBC’s partners throughout the process has been the Lincoln > Historical Commission (LHC). The LHC is the town board that administers > Lincoln’s “Demolition Delay Bylaw” (article XXI of the town’s bylaws > <http://www.lincolntown.org/DocumentCenter/View/58682/2019-General-Bylaw-FINAL>) > which requires every building project that includes demolition to meet with > the LHC to determine 1) whether the structure has historical, architectural, > or cultural significance; and if so, 2) whether the structure is “preferably > preserved.” The LHC worked with the SBC to understand the architectural > significance of the Lincoln School and to think about how to incorporate that > history into the renovation. > > To mark the transition from the first phase of the project to the second, we > invited Andrew Glass, chair of the LHC, to write about the ways the renovated > building pays tribute to its innovative history while creating a learning > environment that will serve our students for decades to come. > > Sunshades on middle school; view towards dining commons. > The Lincoln School: Smith Building and Brook Building Complexes > > Lincoln residents and architects Lawrence B. Anderson (1906-1994) and Henry > B. Hoover (1902-1989) made significant contributions to Modern architecture > in Lincoln. Dean of the MIT School of Architecture and Urban Planning, > Anderson, with his firm Anderson & Beckwith, designed several buildings for > the Lincoln School campus, including the Smith complex from 1947 through the > early 1950s and the Hartwell building in 1957. Hoover designed more than > three dozen Modern houses and municipal buildings in Lincoln, including, in > 1937, Lincoln’s first Modern house. With his firm Hoover & Hill, Hoover also > designed several buildings for the Lincoln School campus, including the three > Hartwell pods between 1959 and 1964 and the Brooks complex between 1963 and > 1964. > > The oldest part of the Lincoln School, the Smith Building complex was one of > the earliest school buildings in the nation to incorporate Modern design > principles. Architectural Forum recognized the innovative qualities of the > complex in an August 1950 article, which can be found here > <https://usmodernist.org/AF/AF-1950-08.PDF>. As noted by the Architectural > Forum, these qualities include: > > The transparency between the interior and exterior of the building achieved > through the use of continuous bands of fenestration (windows); > Careful attention to how daylight enters the building, including through use > of a sunshield between the lower and clerestory windows, which served to > shade the lower windows from low-angle morning sun and reflect light up to > the interior ceiling through the clerestory; > The use of long bar-shaped classroom buildings to create an encompassing > gesture around the Center Field; and > The use of acoustical tiles to reduce noise reverberation in the classrooms. > Hoover’s Brooks Building complex built on these Modern design principles. In > creating the auditorium, he used innovative acoustical “clouds” to help > direct sound to the back of the theater. Hoover was a master of integrating > the landscape into his designs, which is reflected in the close connection of > each classroom to the exterior and in the creation of a courtyard in the > Brooks Building complex. > > For the current project, architectural firms SMMA and EwingCole are restoring > much of the Smith Building complex and all of the Brooks Building complex, > working within the Modern design principles developed by Anderson and Hoover. > > > Drawing on Anderson’s and Hoover’s legacy of the innovative use of > technologies, the revitalized Lincoln School will be an all-electric, net > zero building. To reduce heat load and solar glare in the classrooms, the > design restores the use of sunshields as pioneered by Anderson. The filtered > light will also reduce the need to rely on artificial lighting within > classrooms. > Interestingly, because in the 1940s the Town chose to build a more costly > gable roof rather than the shed roof proposed by Anderson, the Town opted not > to build the dedicated cafeteria and kitchen that Anderson recommended. The > revitalized School has a dedicated cafeteria and kitchen for the first time, > the design of which draws on Anderson’s legacy of using continuous bands of > fenestration and clerestory windows to create connections to the outdoors and > to provide abundant natural daylight within the building. > Replacing the oldest portion of the Smith Building complex, the design for > the new main entrance and Learning Commons also honors Anderson’s Modern > design principles using transparent materials and sunshields. > Anderson’s gymnasium and Hoover’s classrooms with their innovative use of > wooden beams will be restored for decades more use by students. > Honoring Hoover’s legacy of innovative open-plan interior spaces and close > connections to the exterior, the revitalized School contains “hub” learning > spaces for grades 3 through 8. Classrooms are arranged around a central > common space promoting a neighborhood feeling among the teachers and students > of a grade. Easily-operable glass partitions between the classrooms and the > hub allow teachers and students to create larger or smaller learning spaces > to suit the needs of students’ varying learning styles and allow the > landscape to be seen well within the interior of the building. > The Dining Commons, Learning Commons, and Media Center will open directly > onto outdoor terraces that will serve as outdoor learning spaces and > community gathering areas during non-school hours. (Note: The construction of > the Learning Commons in phase 2 required the demolition of the oldest Smith > building. Click here > <https://lincolnsbc.org/lincoln-school-project-construction-phase/> to see > videos showing the building before, during and after demolition!) > Finally, the School Project has restored the Auditorium, including the > innovative acoustical clouds. The Town will enjoy many years of comfort at > Town Meeting and performances in the newly renovated space! > The LHC appreciates SMMA and EwingCole’s sensitive renovation of the Smith > and Brooks buildings and the creative incorporation of Modern design > principles into the revitalization project. - Andrew Glass > > This week's SBC meeting is being held on Tuesday, September 14th at 7:00pm > via Zoom. Agenda and link can be found here > <https://www.lincnet.org/domain/5>. > > Glass partitions in hub; view through to the outdoors. > -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to [email protected]. > Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. > Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. > Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. >
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