Eleanor Murray Fallon
Middle School

Dublin Unified School District
Dublin, California

New School
1,200 Students
Est. Construction Cost: $30,000,000
Construction Start: Spring 2003
Occupancy: Fall 2005
Funding: State
SIte: 28.8 acres
Size: 131,000 s.f.

Dublin Unified School District presented the design team with a unique challenge. Design a school whose function may change radically over the next 10 – 20 years. Although its original design serves grades K - 8, the facility may eventually serve only middle school students in grades 6 – 8 or possibly high school students in grades 9 – 12.
The campus is divided into two zones: academics and activities. The administration building sits in between the two zones making it easily accessible to students, teachers and the public. The hexagon shaped main lobby is an inviting entrance to the campus and serves as the hub of the building. A large library/media center wing projects from the hub toward the academic side of the campus; an administration wing projects from the hub toward the activity side of the campus.
Academic classrooms are designed to accommodate any age group or subject matter. Clusters of 4 classrooms surround a multifunctional fifth classroom that includes the infrastructure needed for flexibility. The room could easily support any program, including life science or chemistry, without major structural or architectural work. Within the cluster are a teacher workroom and student and staff restrooms.
Three classroom clusters are organized around a central courtyard creating small villages, which help to reduce the scale of the larger school. The function of the clusters and the villages adapts easily to either grade use or discipline, adding to the flexibility of the facilities.
The multipurpose room is on the opposite side of the campus adjacent to the play fields and activities quad. The building includes a complete serving kitchen with snack bar making the facility functional for a variety of grade levels and for community use. To further serve the needs of the expanding campus and the community, a Performing Arts Center and Gymnasium will be added in the future.
The organization of the campus and the design of each facility creatively support a variety of grade levels and programs. In addition, the campus offers large and small gathering spaces meeting the needs of both younger and older students.