Brightwood-Lincoln Elementary School

Innovative Consolidation: Springfield’s New Elementary School Unites Learning and Community

DOC provided preconstruction and construction management services to the City of Springfield for the new 150,500-square-foot K-5 elementary school. The project consolidates two existing schools into a single building with each school occupying one wing of the building and sharing the center common area, including a gymnasium, cafetorium and media center. The new school can accommodate 800 K-5 students and 120 Pre-K students.

Located on Plainfield Street adjacent to the Chestnut Accelerated Middle School, the 10-acre site is adjacent to active train tracks on the east, residential housing to the west, and a separate MassDOT construction project built by DOC—the North End Pedestrian Underpass—on the south. This adjacent project created a pedestrian tunnel to allow the surrounding residents to safely get from Plainfield Street to Bernie Avenue without being exposed to train traffic.

The Brightwood-Lincoln School project scope included access roads around the building for bus and parent drop-off and pick-up, ample parking lots, playgrounds for each school and a large soccer field that could be shared by the community.

The building is a three-story structure with multiple types of exterior veneer masonry, metal panels, windows and glass curtain wall. The interior includes classrooms, offices, a gymnasium, cafeteria with a stage (also known as a cafetorium), a media center, and mechanical and electrical spaces. There are two elevators and four stairwells.

Project Highlights

• New construction, consolidation of two existing schools into one, with common areas
• Logistically complex site located in a dense urban area, bordered by heavily traveled sidewalks and roadways.
• Successful collaboration with the City of Springfield, MSBA, and local agencies
• Logistical considerations for an active school setting: parking, increased traffic for material deliveries, and pedestrian routes