Staff Sergeant James J. Hill Elementary School

Location: Revere, MA

Completed: 2015

Category: Public / Grade K-12

Type: New Construction

Square Footage: 103,650 sf

Cost: $33.9 million

Architect: DRA Architects

Engineer: NV5

General Contractor: CTA Construction Managers

Awards: LEED Certification

Description: “Much of the planning work for the new Hill School involved site selection including the Della Russo Stadium site and the adjacent Hill Park. After thorough analysis, the Hill Park site was selected. Hill Park site does not require any property acquisitions, hazardous material abatement or demolition and allows the existing school to be used as swing space during construction due to its proximity to the current school.

The design for the new Hill Elementary School utilizes transparency and materiality to connect it with its surroundings and establish a benchmark for downtown Revere urban renewal. The design features large glass expanses that serve to have interior areas experienced at the exterior streetscape as well as to connect interior spaces to favorable exterior views.

The building has a basic geometry which responds to the massing along Broadway and at the eastern end of Park, with very prominent facades and minimal setbacks. The clear geometry is then enhanced by layering of material, sun control devices and pronounced volumes at both ends of the primary facades. Accents areas of glass detailed with cement fiber board frames are used both to organize the elevation and to express special program areas on the interior of the building. At the east end of the Park Ave façade and art room and a computer lab are articulated as specialized spaces on the exterior of the building, while enhancing the interior space by its unique window areas. On the west end, the gym stair and the main entrance are largely articulated in glass, enabling them to be lit and serve as a beacon of the school to the neighborhood and approaching the school from Broadway.

The Hill School achieved LEED certification in December of 2018. ” -DRA Architects

Reference: https://www.draws.com/portfolio/staff-sargent-james-j-hill-elementary-school/