The new 30,000 SF Waynflete Lower School building replaces an outdated white brick addition built in 1968. Undersized and overused, the former school building was a confusing, multi-level conglomeration of several buildings and additions that tended to separate and isolate the school’s four learning age groups.

The new building is designed to integrate the four age groups and organize their “habitats” around a central lobby and atrium that runs right through the middle of the building, connecting the upper-level playground at the front entrance with the lower-level playfield behind the building.

The design organizes the building into two wings joined by the atrium and a shared classroom, which allows natural daylight to flow into three sides of each classroom grouping. The building includes flexible learning spaces for PS/K, 1/2, 3/4, and 4/5 grade students, as well as an art studio and after-school spaces on the lower level, opening out to the playfield for after-school activities.

The building has a high-performance exterior envelope and high-efficiency mechanical and lighting systems. It is designed to achieve Passive House certification, which will reduce the energy use to 80% less than energy code requirements. Construction was completed in the summer of 2018.

This project is the continuation of a campus plan by SA that includes the updated Waynflete Arts Center.

Client  |  The Waynflete School

Location  |  Portland, Maine

Photographer  |  Ryan Bent Photography

Awards  |  2019 AIA Maine Honor Award /  2022 AIA New England Citation Award