At its October Board Meeting, the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) voted to formally approve the project’s advancement into the Schematic Design phase. Schematic design is the part of the process where the finer details of the building’s design are determined. This is another significant step forward in the work to deliver a new school for the Somerville community.

Want to learn more and share your perspectives on the project?

All are invited to attend an upcoming community forum about the City's New School Building project at 115 Sycamore Street:

• Time and Date: Tuesday, November 10, from 6 to 8 p.m.
• Location: Somerville High School, Highlander Forum, 81 Highland Avenue

What to Expect at the Forum

During this meeting Mayor Wilson and Superintendent Carmona will speak to the City and District’s shared vision for the project, which is informed both by community process as well as district needs.

Project architects, Perkins Eastman, will then present the preferred design option for the project, which was submitted to the state in late August--providing an overview of how the building will support the diverse learning needs of Somerville’s students and incorporate a range of community priorities into the design.

The preferred option for the new school building project at 115 Sycamore Street. For a more detailed overview of the option watch the August 3 School Building Committee Meeting.

The design team will provide an overview of the process moving forward with particular emphasis on the next phase of the process: schematic design. This design phase is when we move from general plans to incorporating a much higher degree of detail into the plan.

Following presentations, there will be an opportunity to ask questions and discuss. Community members can share their thoughts on how the building can best serve our students as well as express any concerns they might have.

The information and feedback gathered will be used by the City’s project team and architects to help inform design efforts and work moving forward.

Light refreshments -- pizza and snacks -- will be served.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at newschool@somervillema.gov. 

Interested in diving deeper into the process? The School Building Committee (SBC) meets monthly to get into the details of the project and design process.

Regular meetings are open to the public and there is an opportunity for community members to provide comment at the end of each meeting.

Examples of the type of material covered during meeting of the School Building Committee. This slide from August's presentation highlights work to ensure high-quality daylight in classroom spaces.

Next SBC meeting: Monday, November 2, 4:30 p.m. virtual via Zoom

At this upcoming November SBC meeting, the project team will highlight work being undertaken as part of the schematic design process--including preliminary building facade design considerations and exterior building materials. 

All meetings are recorded and presentation materials are made available following the meeting.