Planning for the Future, Respecting the Past

SMMA provided Owner’s Project Management (OPM) services for the new Northbridge Elementary School. This project consolidates the Town’s two aged elementary schools into one school while preserving and enhancing the immediately adjacent and much beloved Vail Field Park.

The new school serves 1,102 students in grades preK-5. The three-story building plan creates small learning communities to break down the scale of a large building, while clustering classrooms around extended learning areas to support large projects, collaboration, and grade level assemblies. Project-based learning is central to the design, with small group learning and maker spaces located on each floor.

The building’s exterior draws upon Northbridge’s rich mill history as part of the Blackstone Valley Heritage Corridor, exhibiting elements of red brick piers and stone base, while looking forward with lightweight metal wall panels and cornice elements.

As the new school was constructed in close proximity to the existing W. Edward Balmer School, SMMA led a detailed phasing and construction logistics planning process to ensure the existing school’s operation was not impacted. The school, designed by Dore & Whittier Architects and constructed by Fontaine Bros., Inc. opened in 2021.