The new 687-pupil Lynnfield Middle School began with a feasibility study that compared various options for renovation/expansion to alternative options for new construction. Ultimately, the Town of Lynnfield selected an option that included constructing a new facility on a very restrictive site that already included playfields, wetlands, abutter setbacks, and the existing middle school.  Ai3 worked through multiple site placement options and satisfied all criteria, including the need to disturb only a small four-acre parcel with the new school construction.

The final solution is a beautifully sited building, which was designed to blend seamlessly with the rich surrounding Colonial architecture of the Town. The 114,195 sq. ft. building is a successful Colonial archetype that not only respects classical laws of proportioning, but also alludes to a Contemporary response. Through the strategic manipulation and placement of the Library Media Center, Cafeteria, and Main Entry, the building appears as an assemblage of smaller Colonial buildings with the appropriate scale, detail, and proportions.

The completed project is a source of civic pride for the town, and a model of 21^st Century Middle School education for the School Department.