SMMA’s planning team met with all stakeholders, from teachers and students to secretaries and custodians. Their vision informed the new layout and its focus on community-building and interdisciplinary knowledge sharing:
- On the first floor, three core gathering spaces – the gymnasium, auditorium, and dining commons – are connected by a learning forum, the central café, and an open central stair. The dining commons is inherently flexible: its smaller café and quiet dining area can be used as an additional large group instruction space, an intimate dining area for functions, or as a refuge for students more intimidated by larger spaces and crowds.
- On the second floor, a glassy open media center overlooks the commons. Science labs are centered between two academic pods, rather than isolated or associated solely with traditional STEM programs, allowing for ethics and environmental advocacy values to inform and connect with the broader humanities.