St. Mark’s School (Southborough, MA)
St. Mark’s School is a coeducational, Episcopal independent school, situated on 250 acres in Southborough, Massachusetts.
The new residential building will provide 130 and 140 beds, replacing the West Campus dorms and to free academic space within the campus’ Main Building. The new residence hall will house the incoming third form class (typically between 60 to 70 students) and upper-class students, with a clear delineation between girls and boys, as well as third-form and upper-form students, organizing the building into six distinct “Houses”.
The main objectives guiding the design of the building are the following:
- Create a facility that supports St. Mark’s goal for a “best in class” approach to residential life
- Create an iconic building visible from the approach to campus across the playing field
- Utilize the new Residential Hall to create an accessible, welcoming route to the main buildings from the parking along School Street
- Create a visible sense of community between the new and existing Residence Halls
- Create a flexible room arrangement that can accommodate varying sizes of third-form classes
The goal of the building program was to create a typology with a variety of social and work spaces that enhances/promotes social interaction and creates community at many scales. Another goal was to right-size the spaces so that they offer the residents a welcoming sense of home – comfortable for their primary daily use, with the ability to “squeeze” in additional occupants for the occasional event.
The bedrooms are organized into clusters of 6 bedrooms, plus a bedroom for the prefect, as well as a communal bath. There are three clusters per wing per floor, forming a House, which shares a centrally located Lounge, kitchenette, and a pair of small studies.