Dennis Yarmouth Middle School

Fire Trol was proud to partner with Perkins Eastman in the $110M construction of a new two-story 185,000 SF middle school in South Yarmouth, MA serving grades 4-7.

The project features two double-story classroom wings at the north end of the site, with sunny light courts in the outdoor spaces formed by the separation and orientation of the classroom wings. The common areas—auditorium, cafeteria, gym, media center, and arts programs—are situated on the south near the main entry and organized around a central commons space. The elegant, 850-seat auditorium will be open to the public from around the school district for special events such as community meetings and community theater.

The Dennis-Yarmouth district includes an exceptionally high percentage of special-needs students, including those with physical disabilities.  Perkins Eastman was challenged with not only making the building universally accessible, as required by law, but also to design an environment that promotes universal access to learning, with a number of specialized teaching spaces that accommodate students’ myriad learning styles and needs with an overall aesthetic atmosphere that is welcoming and soothing for everyone. The approach includes details such as minimizing harsh angles in favor of curving lines and volumes. Another aesthetic emphasis—particularly prominent in the well-considered graphic design—was biophilia, which emphasizes the natural contours and biology of the terrain across Cape Cod and greater New England.

Andrew Hazelton from Perkins Eastman, said that the use of Fire Trol Columns was essential to the aesthetic design as well as safety.  Hazelton states, “I think the aesthetic benefit of the smaller radius columns added a lot to the project and we know that the Fire Trol columns are a lot stronger and more resilient than using column covers. From the standpoint of shop drawings and project coordination everything was made easier for all involved.”