New Fairfield Middle School Media Center

New Fairfield, CT

High schoolers and middle schoolers don’t always mix, at least not when they are trying to share a media center. This was a lesson learned for New Fairfield Middle School, whose students had been sharing space with the connected high school. With BL Companies as a guide, school administrators were able to identify an underutilized area of the existing middle school to create a lively new—middle schoolers only—2,400 SF media center. A lighted serpentine glass block element provides the perfect place for students to curl up in a bean bag and read, while new technology, finishes, stack areas, circulation desk, workroom and classrooms space, and new mechanical and lighting systems help teachers and students alike. The Town had a maximum project budget of $250,000, so BL Companies collaborated with Town staff to use existing resources where possible to maximize funds. The project involved demolition of the existing technology wing and tied the new media center to a previously inaccessible exterior courtyard. Constructed over the summer, the project was completed under budget and in time for the fall semester.