Design team outlines program changes, CTE growth and a wide set of cost alternatives

Design consultants presented the educational program drivers and a broad set of cost alternatives that will determine the likely size and form of any future Medford Hubbard High School project.

SMMA said program and visioning work — including roughly 49 meetings with current and potential building users and about 250 stakeholder conversations — produced an educational plan that drives net square footage targets. The firm told the committee special‑education spaces are being rightsized, some programs (including the Curtis Tufts therapeutic day program) are proposed to relocate to the high school, and chapter 74 CTE spaces are projected to nearly double to accommodate four new programs. SMMA also described plans to consolidate preschool programs into the site and target about 11 integrated preschool classrooms.

Presenters emphasized the PDP requires three baseline options for cost estimating: a code upgrade (A), an addition/renovation (B series) and a new building (D series). SMMA explained the cost estimates will chiefly follow net and gross square footage (gross = 1.5 × net) and noted that anything above five stories will invoke high‑rise construction premiums. An SMMA presenter said that while the existing gymnasium is roughly 30,000 square feet, a newly built gym under MSBA parameters would be limited to a maximum of about 18,000 square feet, a factor that will alter some new‑construction scenarios.

On site strategy, SMMA outlined options that preserve the existing gym/pool, isolate them as separate buildings, build over parking with a deck or garage to preserve field area, or place new construction on upper terraces of the site. The firm also discussed sustainability options — roof‑mounted and parking‑canopy photovoltaic systems — to be priced as a la carte items alongside the alternatives.

Throughout the presentation committee members asked for clarity on gross square footage, solar capacity, parking counts, phasing impacts and how the team will incorporate schedule and field‑use disruption into the rubric used to evaluate alternatives. SMMA said laser scanning and geotechnical/geoenvironmental work remain in progress and will refine net/gross numbers for future evaluation.