Design Update

Download the updated site plan and design document here.

Concepts and Building Materials

Below you’ll find renderings that represent the proposed layout of the building, as well as concepts for some of the specific areas.

The floor by floor plan provides a great overview of the different areas within the High School. If you’re interested in the phasing of the construction it can be found here

Next, we move on to some conceptual drawings which give an idea of how the space will be furnished.

Building Materials

The proposed new DPHS will honor the history of Spencer’s 19th and 20th-century architecture, by employing a traditional brick masonry cladding on the new classroom and administration wings. The new entries will be clad in metal panel to separate from the brick signaling the forward looking nature of the new David Prouty. These vertical sections will include the second story media center reading room and the lobby of the new gymnasium. The third floor reading room of the library in particular will stand out from a distance as a lit beacon welcoming families to the new school.  The new gymnasium will be covered with ground-faced block. 

Interior materials will include salvaged terrazzo and brick masonry in the auditorium wing and new porcelain tile flooring, painted structural steel, warm wood and vibrant vinyl graphic walls to create a more inviting indoor environment for students and staff.  The goal of the new design is to create a more student-oriented school where learning is celebrated and the potential of students to succeed in diverse career paths is supported through a mix of project based and academically rigorous courses. The school will also be designed to support the teaching of basic life skills and will offer a year round learning environment to support community use of recreational spaces, multipurpose classrooms, vocational studios and the renovated auditorium.

Outdoor connections are also an important to learning today. Care has been taken to create outdoor learning spaces in a generous courtyard and vocational work areas at the base of the hill behind the school. Improved sidewalks, playing fields, parking and grading will make the site more pleasant, useful and welcoming to the entire community.