“I…can testify directly to the cooperation and support that I felt Marinace Architects provided the district throughout the project.”

– Tim Mayes, Superintendent of Schools

The Bedford Middle-High School project began as a design competition in which the proposals of the five competitors were evaluated against a wide range of criteria without the evaluators’ knowledge of which plan belonged to which team. Our design was determined to be far and away the best and most responsive to the program, while at the same time representing the least expensive option. We were consequently awarded the project, which was approved overwhelmingly by the voters in March of 2005.

The building houses grades 7-12 in two separate wings, which isolate the student groups from each other, but still allow common access to core spaces such as the cafeterias, gymnasiums, and the auditorium. Careful planning allows many core areas to be opened to the public after school hours, including the two gymnasiums, which have a common folding wall which can be retracted to create a 20,000 square foot room capable of seating over 3,000 people. By folding the classroom wings around two central courtyards, the building footprint is kept compact, which results in less exterior wall and therefore a more economical building to construct, maintain, and heat.