Last year, we began the process of identifying an architectural firm to assist the school in creating a Master Plan for our campus. The master planning process is, at its core, an opportunity to imagine and plan our learning environment for current students and for generations of students to come. We know that we have an incredible campus, and Park’s community of visionaries has created remarkable learning spaces — many of which connect the indoors with the outdoors in meaningful ways.

At this time, we seek to study and acknowledge what works in support of our educational objectives and community, and also to build upon new ideas for what the Park of the future should look like. While common spaces, classrooms, and other core campus features will be the primary focus, we will be paying attention to the systems in our existing infrastructure that are, perhaps, taken for granted: HVAC, lighting, technology, etc.

PLEASE RESPOND TO THESE SURVEYS BY DECEMBER 1

The following surveys were designed by Bowie Gridley Architects (BGA) to collect information about the community’s observations, concerns, and aspirations. Please complete the following surveys. 

• Overall Campus Survey
• Specific Space Usage Survey
  Please fill out this form for each room or space in which you regularly teach or work.
• Athletics/PE Spaces Survey
  If you do not use any Athletics/PE spaces, you may skip this survey.

About the Master Plan

The Firm

Bowie Gridley Architects (bowiegridley.com) is a firm that is particularly noted for achievements as planners and designers of educational facilities. I encourage you to visit their website and familiarize yourself with their approach, view their portfolio that includes a great number of exciting projects at independent schools, and learn more about their personnel and commitment to sustainability. We look forward to our collaboration with the staff of Bowie Gridley.

The Process

The team at BGA will begin by observing, researching, and listening; then they will respond. BGA has asked us to distribute several different surveys to several different constituencies. We hope that you will complete your survey as quickly as you can.

BGA will be assessing the building and synthesizing past drawings and documents to create a comprehensive inventory of existing conditions. Building on the survey data and their assessments, they will conduct interviews with various groups — teachers, students, and parents — to understand their challenges and opportunities more fully.

Then, based on this information, along with the evaluation of the buildings’ systems and the topography of our site, they will begin to imagine and draft schemes of design solutions. The Master Plan itself, when finished, will be a document that inventories and assesses current conditions, outlines and describes the opportunities and challenges, and presents phased solutions that Park can pursue.

TIMEFRAME

Many processes must take place concurrently. It is our hope to adhere to the following schedule in order to complete the process before the end of the academic year.

December–January

Assessment and inventory, functional analysis, and programming

February–April

Strategy development, concepts refinement, final plan preparation

April–May

Plan delivery and presentation to Board of Trustees

At the conclusion of the process, the Master Plan will be shared with the community at large. At that point, the work ahead of us will be to prioritize the elements laid out in the plan, and the Board and administrative team will determine if and how to move forward.

Community Involvement

Members of the community — students, teachers and staff, parents, and alumni — will be essential to helping the architects and planners experience and understand what is distinctive about how we learn at Park. With that understanding, combined with their professional expertise, they can then conceive design solutions that best support Park’s distinctive approach to education and the values of the community.

Moving forward on any such undertaking is a multi-step process, but the Master Plan is the crucial first step. Over the course of several years, we will work to determine if and how best to enhance the spaces we have, and imagine new possibilities to support our students’ learning. A creative and forward-looking Master Plan enables us to prioritize most successfully for the future of our school.