The Math Science building, Oakwood School`s first new classroom building since it was created in the 1950s, is based on the firm`s 1991 master plan for the campus. The two-story structure is organized around a sky-lit, central interior atrium and an exterior, second-floor courtyard. The main entry is oriented toward the existing campus, and will connect to future development and a courtyard in subsequent phases of the master plan. The building accommodates a lecture hall, ten classrooms, five science laboratories and a greenhouse, faculty offices, and a 12,000 square-foot, below-grade parking garage. Referencing the Eastern tradition of academic brick architecture, a new vernacular for the campus is created with a fusion of exterior-patterned, glazed and textured block, and steel and glass curtainwall. The first-story base gives the building an “institutional presence,” while the second story speaks to the school`s creative spirit and inventive style of learning. Color and pattern are used on the exterior and interior of the building, with exposed steel structure and mechanical ducts boldly painted to reinforce the concept of the building as a laboratory for learning.
