Perkins Eastman presents finishes and interior scheme for Whitford Middle School; OPM outlines schedule and environmental next steps

Perkins Eastman presented design-development finishes for the new Whitford Middle School on April 1, showing an exterior kit of parts featuring brick and ground-face CMU, a lighter interior palette to increase natural light and a three-tiered color theme tied to local coastal, wetlands and upland habitats.

Mike Burgess of Perkins Eastman said metal panels and rusticated stone proved cost-prohibitive; the team is focusing on masonry patterning, CMU base courses and brick blends to break down the building scale and tie into Woodford Village character. The designers showed interior concepts for a commons (the “town center”), gym, media center and breakout niches, and proposed sight lines and a secured main entrance with administrative offices overlooking arrivals for security.

OPM reported schematic documents were uploaded to RIDE earlier in March; RIDE provided comments that the design team is addressing. The next major deliverable is design development (approx. 45–50% completion) with a reconciled estimating process scheduled in mid-April and a target advisory update in June. OPM also reported an environmental notification to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management after a hit in a dry well; a public meeting for abutters and a subsequent 10-day comment period are planned for early to mid-May.

Committee members asked detailed questions about flooring materials (LVT, rubber stair treads), blackout curtains for performance spaces and how graphic/display content will be curated; Perkins Eastman said samples and further design-development materials will come back to the committee for review.

OPM and the design team said they plan further user-group meetings and will bring material samples, more refined cost data and decision dates for alternates to the next advisory meeting.