When the little coastal town of Wareham, Massachusetts, decided to bring together two aging elementary facilities into a new school for 1,000 students, the school district had high expectations. Knowing that the flooring would be a significant factor in the longevity of the 160,000-square-foot facility, stakeholders wanted a finish that would be durable, low maintenance, and cost-effective. They also wanted it to convey a strong sense of place while contributing to an exceptional learning environment for students and teachers. “Naturally, the school district was heavily invested in the outcome,” said Susan Taylor, a senior interior designer with Mount Vernon Group Architects of Wakefield, Mass.
Life-Cycle Considerations
The school’s custom interior design began with a visioning process with stakeholders, related Ms. Taylor. An early step in the process was calculating life-cycle costs; that analysis pointed to terrazzo.
“Terrazzo pretty consistently comes bubbling to the top,” reported Ms. Taylor, who has used terrazzo in a number of schools. “We design for 50 years, and it’s a 50-year material— there are floors around that are hundreds of years old. Some finishes won’t last that long, but we can with confidence say that terrazzo will.”
Local Colors
“What’s also wonderful about terrazzo is it allows us to be very free with the design, both in color and in creating patterns,” Ms. Taylor added. She noted that in addition to a limitless color selection, aggregate selections can also add shading and color options.
Throughout the new school for grades pre-k through fourth, the design team focused on taking full advantage of the unlimited possibilities of terrazzo color schemes and patterns to accomplish the school district’s vision for the floor. The design is packed with features that celebrate the region and its natural resources; bright jewel tones enhanced with mirror chips and mother-of-pearl aggregate represent the local cranberry trade, waterfront, beaches, marshes, and forests.
Custom Teaching Tools
In the lobby, terrazzo is paired with a mural recounting local history and cultures. “Conscious that perceptions of history change and knowing the longevity of terrazzo, we were careful what we were putting down for 50-plus years,” Ms. Taylor said. “A mural can be more easily replaced without too much disruption, the terrazzo not so much.”
To celebrate the coming together of neighboring villages in one new school—for many children their first school experience—is a schematic map of the area in terrazzo. Without labels, the map is aligned to true north. A star marks the school location, encouraging young students to relate to others as they locate familiar places on the map. The Wareham town seal in terrazzo adorns one busy corridor, a bright compass another. Other graphics include the color wheel, a variety of triangles marked with the degrees, and the solar system, relatively scaled. The design team also focused attention on creating “neighborhoods”—smaller color-coded learning communities within the school. Floor patterns are used to optimize corridor space for play and movement while differentiating those areas from the group workspace.
“I’m proud of the entire project,” Ms. Taylor concluded. “I’m happy when the clients are happy, and we can deliver a result that meets their vision.”
The floor was installed by Joseph Cohn & Sons of North Haven, Connecticut. In 2023, the National Terrazzo & Mosaic Association presented an Honor Award to the company for the project as one of the year’s top terrazzo installations.
www.NTMA.com
Photos by David Laudadio
