Josiah Quincy Upper School
Boston
FINAL PROJECT and BEST PROJECT, K-12 EDUCATION
Presented by Turner Construction
Owner: City of Boston
Main design company: HMFH Architects
General contractor: Turner Construction
Civil Engineer: Nitsch Engineering
Structural Engineer: Le Messier
MEP Engineer: GGD Consulting Engineers
Owner Project Manager: Skanska USA Building
Landscape: Arcadis IBI Group
Boston’s first all-electric public school, the 175,000-square-foot LEED Platinum building was built under the city’s Green New Deal for Boston Public Schools. It operates without fossil fuels, using high-efficiency air source heat pumps and advanced air conditioning systems that provide fresh, filtered air.
The team says providing fresh air is “critical” given the school’s narrow one-acre site off Interstate 90. A displacement air system reduces the spread of pollutants, and fresh air intakes are on the roof, where the air is cleaner. The rooftop includes multi-functional green spaces with gardens, outdoor learning areas and pathways. It also reduces the heat island effect and supports rainwater management.
Built on a one-acre site, the six-story public school design maximizes verticality to accommodate a full middle and high school program within a dense urban footprint. The design aimed to efficiently stack a complex collection of academic, recreational and community facilities, including science labs, a gymnasium, an auditorium and a rooftop STEM classroom.
Photo by Ed Wonsek, courtesy of Turner Construction Co.
Before the construction of the new school, the team completed the enabling works to prepare the swing space for the 6th and 7th classes located on the campus. Crews then demolished the existing two-story precast concrete school structure and the existing Boston Chinese Evangelical Church building.
Pandemic delays interrupted the completion of the prefabricated attic modules. To maintain progress, the team broke the modules into smaller components, delivered parts to the site before completion, and redefined the scope of the already busy local workforce. Coordination with the South Carolina factory ensured that semi-complete modules were shipped and finished locally, keeping the project moving forward despite supply chain and scheduling challenges.
Prior to the construction of an auditorium that spanned three stories in height, numerous penetrations required prior planning. The team coordinated with all trades and engineers to design a structurally sound temporary floor for everyone to access and use. The approach reduced risk to workers’ schedules and safety. It also eliminated the need for multiple specialized elevators.
Photo by Ed Wonsek, courtesy of Turner Construction Co.
Conducted weekly communications with the client to review estimated, pending and actual costs. The team also reviewed the current status of withholdings and allowances within the budget.
The project site bordered busy downtown streets, so sidewalk protection was crucial. The team was limited to a single delivery lane for all materials, making delivery time critical to eliminating or minimizing truck queues. Delivery routes had to be carefully mapped and controlled.
The team led weekly safety meetings with the subcontractor’s safety representatives. The meetings were used as a two-week advance for high-risk activities, pre-assignment plan changes, incident reviews, and lessons learned. The safety team reviewed past incidents, hazards and potential future hazards to create a database of incident rates related to specific activities and subcontractors that enabled Turner to proactively prevent accidents. Safety professionals also worked with a sports coach who was specifically assigned to the project site to help improve safety and wellness programs. The team led a mandatory stretch and push-up at the site, each morning, to prepare the site staff for daily activities. Safety professionals also led monthly health-focused wellness challenges, including healthy eating challenges, step challenges, stress management and meditation lessons.
Photo by Ed Wonsek, courtesy of Turner Construction Co.
The completed facility houses 650 students, 84 staff members, 35 educational spaces and 29 classrooms. It has a 435-seat auditorium, a 125-seat black box theater, a 10,000-square-foot gymnasium, and a cafeteria with approximately 250 seats. Other features include a media centre, a proscenium stage theatre, changing rooms and a terrace with outdoor classrooms, as well as academic, physical education and administrative and support spaces.
The roof serves as a multifunctional green space, incorporating gardens, outdoor learning areas and pathways that reduce the heat island effect and support stormwater management. The team also provided improvements to the site, including landscaping and reconfiguring the surrounding alleys, streets, sidewalks and crosswalks.
Culturally, the design aims to reflect the context of Chinatown with site-specific art and planning. A custom mural in the cafeteria depicts a map of Boston featuring the school’s mascots and its neighboring elementary school, symbolizing school collaboration and community heritage.
The approximately $223.6 million project was funded through a partnership between the City of Boston and the Massachusetts School Building Authority, which provided more than $54 million in grants. The project was completed as planned.
