The following district presented on the progress of their proposed project at the March 25m 2020 Massachusetts School Building Authority (the "MSBA") Facilities Assessment Subcommittee (the "FAS") Meeting held via Zoom Conference:
City of Boston
Josiah Quincy Upper School
Current Phase: Feasibility Study
Owner's Project Manager: Skanska USA Building, Inc.
Designer: HMFH Architects, Inc.
The City of Boston (the "District"), the Owner’s Project Manager, and design team presented an overview of the options studied during the Feasibility Study and the District’s preferred solution to construct a new Josiah Quincy Upper School on the existing Josiah Quincy Upper School annex site at 900 Washington Street, Boston. The FAS, MSBA staff, and the District discussed: 1) the educational program and its relation to the proposed building layout; 2) appreciation for the District’s presentation and the progress of the conceptual design since the November 20, 2019 FAS Meeting; 3) appreciation for the proposed layout; 4) opportunities and challenges for future expansion of the building; 5) site constraints; 6) proximity to the Josiah Quincy Elementary School; 7) variations to the MSBA Space Summary guidelines; 8) school assignment process and opportunities for expanding International Baccalaureate programming in the District; 8) site circulation, student arrival and pedestrian approach; 9) safety and security; 10) use of the proposed robotics room; 11) use of the proposed project areas; 12) distribution of Special Education spaces; 13) vertical circulation throughout the building; 14) building massing, scale and integration into the neighborhood; 15) project costs, including costs relative to other school projects in the District on a cost per student basis; and, 15) importance of community outreach.
As the Proposed Project moves forward, the MSBA looks forward to active and continued conversations with the District through Schematic Design to understand 1) further refinements to the floor plan during Schematic Design; 2) the balance of construction costs, total square footage and grossing factor, utilization efficiencies and program needs; 3) how the design enrollment of the building informs the total building capacity, including the core academic spaces, cafeteria and gymnasium; 4) how the exterior envelope will be developed to recognize the importance of the building to the neighborhood, thinking through the intersection of the building to the adjoining streets and sidewalk areas, and considering the perspective of the pedestrian and adjoining properties; and, 5) community outreach, process and community concerns.
MSBA staff is currently working with the District to reach a mutually agreeable solution to recommend to the MSBA's Board of Directors.