Campus Master Plan

Transformations Rooted in Our Character

In tandem with our strategic plan (see page 16), Benchmark has initiated a campus master plan that expresses a new vision for the campus and will ensure the school is positioned to support the next generation of students. We’ve partnered with the Philadelphia firm WRT, whose team of architects and planners have worked to help the school best leverage its strengths as well as devise creative, affordable adaptations and expansions.

Over the course of the 2021-2022 school year, WRT met with school leadership, faculty, students, parents, and the Board of Trustees to learn about Benchmark’s current strengths and areas of need.

Head of School Chris Hancock shared, “In this campus master planning work, we’ve asked critical questions about how our campus reflects and supports the mission of our school and our new strategic plan, as well as the most efficient functioning of our daily practice. It challenges us to consider where we want to take Benchmark in the future, and will ensure that our spaces can meet our grand vision.”

The team at WRT developed a deep appreciation and understanding of what makes Benchmark special. WRT’s Principal, Richard King, commented, “With Benchmark, we sensed this incredible quality of home. There’s an intimacy within the school that’s very powerful and you can see it in how comfortable it is as a place, how people feel comfortable there. I think that sense of place as a community is really, really strong. It’s probably a bigger thing than any of us really realized when we started.”

Richard also noted that the team listened well to the comments from the community about our natural setting, further noting that the scale of the work must suit our most important constituents: our students. “There are two different aspects of the campus as it is now that we’re trying to respond to very specifically. One is certainly the trees and the natural setting and wanting to

preserve that as much as possible. And the second is that the buildings have a certain scale that works for children, and so we’re keeping the scale smaller and not making big massive buildings but adding smaller increments. And so we were looking for ways to touch the campus more gently and add incrementally so it feels organic.”

Some elements of the plan, particularly those in later phases, are still in flux as we consider priorities, timing, and budget. However, several recommendations in Phase 1, including upgrading our playground and creating more learning spaces in the lower and middle school, are quick wins that we plan to act on swiftly.

To address the playground, WRT connected us with Studio Ludo, a local, female-run non-profit focused exclusively on creating play spaces and studying play behavior. Like WRT, the Studio Ludo team visited the school and held in-depth sessions with students, teachers, and staff, seeking insights on playground needs and desires. They also encouraged students to draw their ideal playground, and provided the supplies to build 3D models. Meghan Talarowski, Studio Ludo Founder and Executive Director, said, “The kids had very clear reasons about why they love the space. The teachers talked about trying to keep the immersive natural quality that the campus already has. And we’re ensuring that the kids have the freedom to express themselves through their play. That’s how kids connect to each other socially, it’s how they work through issues they’ve had during the day, and how they have a great time.”

Attentive to the value of the natural setting, Meghan’s team

Students drew pictures of their ideal play spaces for Studio Ludo.

deliberately planned to retain the character and the quality of the space and to take the immersion in nature even further. She said, “We thought, let’s see if we can’t get them a little closer to nature, and that’s where those giant treehouses came from. They can get up into the tree canopy and then go down some pretty epic slides.”

Chris Hancock explained, “This is the right time to upgrade the playground. Recess and play are critical for our students’ well-being and growth, and they deserve a truly exceptional playground. With the realization of this exciting plan, our students will have a unique play space that suits every child.”

Funds are being raised to support the playground project at this time, including $300,000 raised at the 50th Anniversary Gala on May 14, 2022, along with a generous dedicated gift of $500,000 from an anonymous donor. The playground is targeted for completion in 2023. This is the right time to upgrade the playground. Recess and play are critical for our students’ well-being and growth, and they deserve a truly exceptional playground. With the realization of this exciting plan, our students will have a unique play space that suits every child. Chris Hancock, Head of School ”

As you can see in the image called “The Groves Playscape,” there are three triangular sections (in tan) in the design. Each of these three triangles is a grove with its own style of play. Meghan Talarowski, Studio Ludo Founder and Executive Director explains the groves below. the pathway, so kids will be down below, shouting to their friends in the tunnel. It was important to keep at least as many swings as you have now, while also adding more. We’re putting in traditional belt swings and also basket swings, so whole groups of kids can swing together.”

Adventure Grove

“This area has a structure that is a little bit closer to the ground, for younger kids and kids that maybe aren’t quite as adventurous. It gives places to socialize and do imagination play. It also has some active climbing and sliding components. The green zones in the middle of the groves are sensory nooks, filled with plants that have great smells, different colors, food for pollinators, boulders for perching, and stumps for running, balancing, and jumping. We always balance out each of the play spaces with opportunities and spaces for everybody, for active and passive play.”

Treehouse Grove

“This grove has super tall treehouses that get you way up in the tree canopy. All of the elements are ADA compliant, so a child or adult in a mobility device can transfer into the structure and navigate through a series of ropes and ramps to get all the way up to the top and then slide down the giant slide. A huge rope tunnel connects the treehouses over

Sensory Grove

“This zone is a little bit more low-key. It’ll have a different plant palette and will feel more private. There are smaller scale net pyramids, great for a couple of kids to hang out or perch on top and see out over the rest of the playground. There’s also a parkour structure with monkey bars and a spinner in the back. This grove is about exploring your senses or curling up with friends, but it’s not quite as high-ropesadventure as the other two groves.”

Maker Forest, Active Play & Gaga Pit

“Between the zones we’re putting in pathways and loose parts and sticks so kids can make forts or build fairy houses or contraptions or whatever they like. We also kept the fullcourt basketball court in the back and the gaga pit closer to the front. The old tires are just north of the swings, so we tried to keep the main elements that the kids love and then we added on this whole other layer of adventure and nature play.”