Design team outlines ecology-driven schematic design, site plan and athletics constraints for Salem High School

Perkins and Will and landscape consultants presented a schematic-design update to the Salem High School Building Committee on Aug. 21 that emphasized ecology-led site planning, a massing strategy of three parallel academic "bars," and tradeoffs for athletics fields and circulation.

The design team described work underway to support the MSBA schematic design submission, including weekly consultant coordination, geotechnical test pits, traffic review with MassDOT, a cut/fill grading analysis, and schematic estimating. Perkins and Will said the team is preparing schematic documents required for the MSBA funding process and coordinating mechanical, electrical and fire-protection reviews with city staff.

Navia Raju, an ecologist on the Perkins and Will team, framed the campus as a transition zone between upland forest and coastal wetlands and recommended nature-based strategies: wetland restoration, increased infiltration and pollinator/native planting to support biodiversity and climate resiliency. Raju highlighted soils, glacial stratified deposits on site, and growing climate-driven…