MMA Architects - Massa Montalto Architects

Education

At MMA we feel that thinking critically and creatively, while working cooperatively with our educational clients and their various committees, will allow us to prepare your facilities for the future. By developing educational designs that focus on our technological knowledge, and the ability to provide a learning environment that is both inviting and motivating, will ultimatly offer your students an innovative and healthy environment in which to gain the knowledge they will need to prepare for their futures. This sort of a design approach and philosophy towards our educational designs provides peace of mind to the parents of those students entering the newly designed spaces by offering them a true state of the art facility.

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MMA provided the design for two built structures at the Stevens Institute of Technology. The two built projects included a Student Service Center constructed at a cost of $2 million and a Macromolecular Materials Laboratory constructed at a cost of $2 million. The Student Service Center was a designed to connect three service areas provided by the school. These services included the departments of financial aid, bursar and registrar offices. The former Senior Facility Manager (Eric Rosenberg) commenting “Your design effectively utilized space that other firms said could not be done, in a way that brought to life our vision”.
The Macromolecular Materials Laboratory was a fast tracked project for which MMA completed the design in 4 weeks. The project was completed ahead of schedule and no change orders were submitted.

Wilbur Watts Intermediate School is a 103,637 sq. ft. structure that MMA has designed and managed from the ground up with a construction cost of $32 million. One of the challenging aspects of the project was maintaining operation of the existing school during construction.

MMA provided Programming, Master Planning, Architecture and Interior Design Services for the new Wilbur Watts Intermediate Campus. The project was completed by Spring of 2008. MMA was faced with finding a home for the growing student population of Burlington City and provided with a site that many individuals speculated a new school of this size could not be built on. Our solution involved the demolition of the existing deteriorating Wilbur Watts Intermediate School (approx.72,000 S.F.), which housed grades four through six (4-6) and demolition of associated structures consisting of tin sheds, bleachers and the Board of Education office building. The new school houses grades (3-6) as well as the Board of Education offices. In addition the campus also houses a separate maintenance facility and the District's main football field and track. New children's basketball courts and play equipment are situated in proximity to the new building.

This facility includes various types of classrooms, small and large group instruction rooms, media center, gymnasium, auditorium, music rooms, cafeteria &kitchen, as well as office areas for staff and faculty, Board of Education members and the District's Child Study Team.

The new facility faces the main thoroughfare in the District and is surrounded by a small, closely knit, residential fabric. Via strategic site improvements, MMA's design enables children to filter out of the building and into play areas without the caution of urban traffic.

MMA provided Programming, Master Planning, Architecture and Interior Design Services for Major Addition and Renovations to the Burlington City High School. This 57,000 square foot addition and 150,000 sq. ft renovation project for the Grade 7 through 12 Junior High/High School includes a new state of the art media center, approximately 30 new classrooms and increased administrative space as well as renovations to the cafeteria, music wing and 80% of existing classrooms to meet FES requirements. The media center is defined by a curved & tilted glass structure with brick and metal facades as a backdrop.

The entire facility now includes a new intercom and clock system, technology requirements, fire alarm, & sprinkler. All of the existing windows were replaced to address the life safety/maintenance issues. The majority of roof areas were also revitalized as a direct impact of installing the new steel structure to support all new roof top HVAC units. New ceilings, pendant light fixtures, and doors were also installed in the renovated areas. The existing football field and track was removed and replaced with two practice fields and a baseball field.

MMA provided Programming, Master Planning, Architecture and Interior Design Services for 6,570 S.F. of alteration and 21,640 S.F. of expansion space for the West Morris Mendham High Schools located in Mendham, NJ
West Morris Mendham High School was faced with a substantial increase in student enrollment; antiquated mechanical, electrical, and lighting systems; undersized instructional spaces; and corridor congestion. New improvements included expansion of the existing elective wing as well as the addition of a four story glass and masonry structure that houses ten (10) new classrooms and the much needed storage facilities. An additional concern was the over crowding of the existing cafeteria due to only one lunch session a day; students presently take their lunch in the corridors and in the main lobby. As part of the new design, an additional cafeteria, multi-use space now resides at the upper most level of the new four story structure. Location of the new expansion also serves to provide additional security measures by eliminating the use of an existing covered walkway while simultaneously establishing a new conditioned link from the existing core facility to the existing field house.

The District was striving to create a personalized education for each child and therefore one of the most significant benefits of the design was the reconfiguration of educational space to create a Grade 9 Wing for all core curriculum classes. This provided a 'home base' for the Grade 9 students focused around common academic themes, interdisciplinary approaches, and research skills. We were also able to outline and include within the proposed plan, all technology and furniture requirements.

West Morris Central High School was faced with an increase in student enrollment; inadequate space for student services; inadequate physical education space; antiquated mechanical, electrical, and lighting systems; undersized instructional spaces; and corridor congestion that created safety and security issues. Due to the layout of the existing campus students traveled outside the school to get from class to class. In an effort to resolve these safety and security issues we developed a grade 9 wing, situated in close proximity to the elective programs and core facilities, as well as student services. By removing the 9th grade student body from other areas of the existing facility, corridor congestion was substantially reduced. We were also able to provide additional interior connectors for the new twelve (12) classroom wing and air-formed, thin-shell Gym Dome Structure that will house 1,000 spectators. The proposed Dome would have been the first of its kind constructed as an educational space in the state of New Jersey. The project also consists of renovating the existing Auditorium for the new Board of Education offices and constructing a new 1,100 seat Auditorium. Other improvements include renovating 30% of the existing facility to address the district's undersized classrooms, teacher, and faculty work areas. A large portion of the existing classrooms have a square footage makeup well below the State's model size. By relocating interior partitions, interior door locations, and realigning existing room functions, we were able to resolve present building deficiencies.

Understanding the District had a stringent budget, the design team researched economical solutions and found that the thin shell Dome Structure would include a 20% up-front construction cost savings when compared to conventional construction methods. In addition, the energy cost savings over a twenty-year period will result in a 100% payback on the owner’s initial investment. Furthermore, erection methods of this construction type would also serve to expedite the phasing of construction, in turn, providing minimal interference with the faculty and student body.

MMA provided complete design and construction administration for a new state-of-the-art music wing addition at the West Morris Regional High School - Mendham Campus. Having reviewed the District's existing arrangement of school programs, MMA was able to determine how the future enrollment would impact the existing school facility.
The result of this study was the need to add a new music wing to the Mendham High School. The addition gave the school three (3) new music classrooms and two (2) practice rooms, as well as faculty offices, storage room and toilet facilities. Our design also allowed for the conversion of the existing music wing on the lower level to four (4) new classrooms and a faculty office. Our client base has given us many opportunities to develop interior and exterior spaces that provide a sense of comfort for the user. We pride ourselves in selecting all materials, including colors and finishes, for the client prior to completion of the design process. We always develope a storyboard that enabled the client to understand the colors and materials that will be part of their space. For this project, MMA felt the floor patterns within the music and choir rooms could mirror the activities that occurred within the spaces. This symbolism was achieved by the graceful curves outlined in the floor tile and the tones of the final color selection. In addition, our research and discussions with our acoustical consultant enabled us to provide an additional aesthetic along the interior walls by the juxtaposition of the panels.

The Samuel Smith Early Childhood Center in Burlington, NJ, was the state's first Early Childhood Center (ECC) under the Abbott vs. Burke Legislation. Upon completion, it was able to offer the residents full day classes. The addition was modularly built and finished in the factory, delivered to the site and installed. The modular units consist of twelve classrooms complete with barrier free bathrooms, sinks and built in storage cabinets, and supply the additional facility space required for Burlington City to implement full day full year programs. The footprint of the ECC is approximately 80'x213'. Each classroom is 950 square feet and contains a large area for instruction and a separate area allocated for play and exploration. Maximum capacity is 15 children for each classroom.

The main entrance should be inviting, playful, and contain a means of alerting the teachers and children of visitors. We made the entrance inviting at Samuel Smith by introducing playful curves and color at each entrance. As one enters the space your eye is also directed towards the classrooms via a colorful tile pattern. Regarding security, a sign-in station sits attached to the wall immediately in front of your path. The interior environment was enhanced even further by the juxtaposition of the columns and large room numbers over wooden panels at each classroom. Even when a child is outside the classroom, the design of the architecture should enhance a child's thought and aspirations. The primary colors provided on the floor, doorframes, and columns alternate as one continues down the main corridor. This use of material and color established a point of reference for the user.

Design Study - The new MPT Center will be a highly professional facility in which the décor and ambience are reflective of a high end production center and/or post production facility. The MPT Center will be a place where students “want to learn”. The renovation of the Media Production & Technology Center has been a long awaited project. The basis of this new renovation project is to provide a new collaborative facility providing enhanced production capabilities and expanded capacity for students and faculty. While our primary goal was to design a facility where “students want to come and learn”, a delicate balance between state of the art technology and project budget needed to be addressed. High Definition digital video studio equipment including distribution, on-line editing, transmission and display devices offer the very best in picture quality, and it is important that ECC understands that it comes with a price. Providing the students with similar type equipment that they will be utilizing in the “real world” is essential.