Easton Area SD designers shift high school exterior to brick, refine interior and athletics plans

Design-team representatives for Easton Area SD presented updated plans for the new high school on the district campus, saying they had moved their preferred exterior from precast concrete panels to brick to reduce cost and crane requirements and to achieve a more predictable finished appearance. The presentation included renderings of the main entrance, performing‑arts frontage, classroom layouts, and detailed athletics‑area designs, including spectator seating and concourses.

Designers said the change to brick was driven by cost and buildability. A staff member (speaker 1) said brick was “more than $20 a square foot less” than precast panels on this project and noted precast required larger cranes and longer clearances between campus buildings. The presenters described brick as offering similar aesthetics with fewer installation constraints and more control through the public-bid process.

The design team said the academic wing will be three stories with a clearly delineated main entrance flanked by the main office and nurse’s suite. Interior finishes presented included terrazzo corridors, VCT classroom floors, carpet tile in select spaces, darker warm wood casework to echo the existing school, metal accents, and large wayfinding numerals at major circulation nodes. Classrooms were shown with transom windows and clerestory glazing to bring daylight into interior corridors and with variable air volume (VAV) HVAC to avoid classroom window-unit noise disparities.

Designers showed multiple “small group instruction” (SGI) breakout areas distributed through the academic wings and two larger commons for whole-group gatherings. The team described classroom storage as concentrated in corridor casework and noted teachers would have separate planning-center spaces for personal workspace. Renderings and the team’s notes emphasized flexible-furniture options and connector openings from classrooms to adjacent small-group spaces.

The athletics complex was shown with a large covered canopy at the athletics entrance intended as a weather-protected holding area for students and temporary shelter during event transitions. The gymnasium design allows spectator entry at the track level with bleachers descending on three sides; designers noted two smaller bleachers under the track and two larger side bleachers and said seating and spacing were arranged to preserve separation between athletes and spectators. A speaker (speaker 1) said the gym spectator seating configuration would provide “a really nice kind of ball field experience” and described the bleacher and canopy details in the renderings.

Design details also show the natatorium, aux gym, fitness/weight room and locker rooms beneath bleachers with clear circulation between these zones. Lighting plans favor LED fixtures and lay‑in acoustic ceilings with targeted accent ceilings. The team said acoustical square lights would be used in high‑traffic commons to reduce reverberation because carpet would be avoided in heavy‑use corridors.

The presenters framed the brick choice as balancing aesthetics, construction logistics, and predictable bid outcomes; they said the team had consulted local precast firms but remained concerned about variability in contractor quality and the size of heavy-lift cranes required. The design team recommended proceeding with the brick option while they continue to refine exact brick selection and long‑lead details.

Looking ahead, the team said design development will continue through the end of the calendar year and that they will hold additional end‑user meetings with teachers and program leads to refine room layouts, storage, and furniture. No formal board vote on materials or finishes was recorded in the meeting.

Less critical details: planned finishes, fixture examples, and furniture imagery were presented as conceptual only and will be refined in subsequent design-development and construction-document phases.