Making Space for Bright Students

Benchmark School selected NorthStar to support their mission to provide their bright students with learning differences the opportunities and inspiring spaces to become lifelong learners, thinkers, and problem solvers. To continue their work towards giving their students the resources they need to succeed, they decided to add a brand-new Innovation Lab to the facility. The new spaces opened in August 2018.

The project included the repurposing of the existing music room into an Innovation Space for the Lower School. NorthStar managed the work of modifying the existing music room to best support the Innovation Lab complete with furnishings and new built-ins.

Also included in the project was the construction of an additional 1,485 SF to accommodate the new Middle School Innovation Lab. During this phase, NorthStar managed the design build process and worked with a design team to bring the vision SHoP Architecture – a firm led by 5 founding Principals including brothers Christopher and Bill Sharples, both Benchmark School alumni – had for the Innovation Lab to life.

The middle school Innovation Lab features a floating "cloud". SHoP's Fab Lab designed, fabricated and installed the ceiling, which required detailed coordination with the building systems.