RDA was selected to work with the City of Lynn and the MSBA in 2012 to identify the best solution for the replacement of the existing 1920’s-era Thurgood Marshall Middle School. A detailed study of potential sites within the city ensued and RDA was able to design a state-of-the-art new middle school on a site only two blocks from the existing school – a site that had previously been assumed to be too long and narrow for a school. The four-story school is constructed on a pile foundation system and makes use of a building envelope designed to mitigate noise from passing commuter trains right outside the second floor windows. This large urban middle school was broken down into 9 separate ‘Small Learning Communities’ of 120-pupils each, located off of a centrally located ‘vertical wayfinding core’. Each color-coded pod is its own private ‘cul-de-sac’ in which each pupil receives individualized attention from a dedicated team of core-subject educators. Core facilities are located on the first floor, including a unique two-sided stage serving both the Cafetorium and Gymnasium which is sized to seat the entire school community at once – an ability that the school never had, and one of its favorite features. This project is LEED Gold Certified and was completed under budget and four months ahead of schedule.