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n 2005, the city of Brewer had had enough. They needed a new K-8 school and they needed it badly. The schools they were using—Capri Street, State Street, Washington Street, and the Brewer Middle Schools—were severely outdated. The elementary schools didn’t even have onsite kitchens. They thought about spending money to renovate these schools, but in working with Bangor-based WBRC Architects/Engineers, realized they could save over $40 million by just building one big, bright, new school. The City of Brewer and WBRC worked together to create the most economically feasible plan possible, and to help find just the right site in which to build a “green” school using sustainable design practices. WBRC drew up the plans for the nearly 146,000square-foot school that would hold 1,100 students, teachers, and staff members. When working on a
project of this size, a lot has to be taken into consideration. WBRC started with the numbers. How many students will be using this school? How many students will there be 20 years from now? How many teachers and staff members need office space in the building? From these numbers, WBRC deduced the total square footage of space needed. The WBRC team also had to take the law into consideration. For example, younger kids must be located on the first floor of any school near the front of the building—where most of the adults have their offices. “Safety is always a concern,” says Jeff Davis, education studio manager for WBRC. “That’s why the main office and adults are located near the entrance of the building.
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