We had a great turnout for our first hybrid training of the year, thank you to everyone who attended! 📚
During our “Designing for Impact in Mind” course, participants dug into the Common Materials framework and its five pillars: Climate Health, Human Health, Ecosystem Health, Social Health + Equity, and Circularity, to make more practical, impact-aligned material decisions and reduce waste through everyday choices. One takeaway was to break down the often overwhelming world of product certifications and disclosures to make better informed decisions easier.
Thank you to Laurel at LOOM & LEVER for leading an interactive course, and to @hmfharch for hosting and creating a space for collaboration!
We’re looking forward to more in-person and hybrid trainings this year!
🔗 Check out our upcoming trainings on our website!
At HMFH, sustainability is more than a design principle; it is an integral part of our firm culture. As educational architects, we’re passionate about creating spaces that nurture both people and the planet, and we believe it's our responsibility to be stewards of those environments 🌎
Every year, we proudly join the @charlesriverconservancy ’s #EarthDayCleanup, coming together to care for our local community and support a cleaner, healthier environment for all. We’ll be back this Friday to help maintain the Charles River shoreline, but in the meantime enjoy a few snapshots from past cleanups. Happy Earth Day! 🌿
#EarthDay #EarthDayIsEveryDay #EarthDay2026 #SustainableDesign
HMFH's #ArlingtonHighSchool project earned the grand prize in Learning by Design’s Spring 2026 Educational Facilities Design Awards, a national recognition for K-12 and post-secondary learning environments that set new standards for educational architecture!
The jury celebrated Arlington High School for its innovative educational design, community impact, and sustainability. The new LEED Platinum-certified facility provides Arlington students and residents alike with bright, welcoming spaces for learning and gathering.
“This stunning project exemplifies forward-thinking high school design, blending interdisciplinary, light-filled learning spaces with strong sustainability strategies. Thoughtful detailing, elegant light wells, and a vibrant central spine with outdoor learning areas create a connected, inspiring campus that skillfully addresses complex phasing and site constraints."
@lbdgoodman Jury Comments
#ArchitectureWeek celebrates the profession of architecture and invites everyone—especially K-12 students—to explore architecture and design. As public school designers, this message resonates in all that we do, from the student-centric learning environments we create to our many mentorship initiatives, including internship programs, career fairs, and workshops designed to introduce students to careers in the architecture, engineering, and construction fields.
We often design schools where the building itself becomes a teaching tool, offering students a hands-on, immersive learning experience that goes beyond the classroom and supports technical programs such as architecture, drafting, and engineering. Swipe to see how we turn buildings into interactive learning environments:
1. Graphic signage at #ArlingtonHighSchool breaks down how the building’s all-electric systems keep classrooms comfortable year-round
2. The green roof at Boston’s #JosiahQuincyUpperSchool includes planting beds that give students the opportunity to grow food and learn about sustainability
3. #BristolCountyAgriculturalHighSchool features exposed structural and mechanical elements, letting students see firsthand how the building systems integrate with the architecture
4. In the lobby of #FalesElementarySchool, a live energy dashboard helps students see the impact of sustainability features including solar panels and ground-source heat pumps on the school’s energy use
@aianational #ArchitectureWeek2026
Render ➡️ real: Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School
Opening this fall, the new #BristolPlymouthRegionalTechnicalScprovides specialized, hands-on learning environments for 22 career technical programs, from double-height shops with outdoor work yards to an early childhood education center and culinary restaurant where students gain real-world experience.
A vibrant central courtyard anchors the design, supporting a well-rounded educational environment with features such as outdoor dining, ample green space, and a work area for large-scale projects like a model house. The student activity hub connects directly to the courtyard and contains the school’s shared spaces including the cafeteria, auditorium, gymnasiums, and a career center.
👉 Swipe to see design concepts become reality:
1. Central courtyard
2. Dining area in the student activity hub
3. HVAC shop
4. Plumbing shop
We are proud to share that the Josiah Quincy Upper School received a Commendation in the Educational Facilities category at the @bsaaia ’s annual design awards!
Selected by a multidisciplinary jury of architects, designers, artists, public servants, and planners, the BSA Design Awards showcase projects that embody design excellence by empowering their communities, driving positive change, and contributing to a more sustainable and equitable built environment. Despite a compact 0.9-acre site, JQUS distinguished itself with inventive space planning, a coveted green roof, and inspiring, light-filled interiors that benefit both students and the broader Chinatown community.
“This Boston school delivers an impressive response to a very constrained urban site, with wonderful interior spaces, a starry sky auditorium, trusses spanning the highway, and a rooftop learning landscape. Sustainability metrics and LEED v4.1 Platinum performance are exemplary, and the vertical organization demonstrates real design ingenuity.”
BSA Design Awards Jury
Daylight transforms the way students learn, improving focus, engagement, and overall well-being. Responding to unique building conditions and programmatic needs, we blend a variety of daylighting strategies to create bright, inspiring environments.
🌤 Curtain walls flood large gathering areas and landmark spaces with sunlight, creating dynamic hubs for activity and interaction
🌤 Expansive classroom windows bathe learning spaces in daylight, helping students remain energized and focused throughout the day
🌤 Lightwells bring daylight deep within compact building footprints, illuminating interior spaces that would otherwise rely on artificial light
🌤 Skylights brighten top level and double-height spaces, supplementing perimeter windows to create even daylighting conditions
🌤 Clerestory windows provide gentle, diffuse light to large open spaces such as gymnasiums, career technical shops, and project areas
🌤 Solar tubes direct natural light into hard-to-reach areas, ensuring every part of the school feels bright, uplifting, and connected to nature
HMFH was excited to take part in our seventh consecutive Architecture/Design Thinking Week 💭
This annual program offers @bostonschools students hands-on experiences in architectural design during February break. Guided by young professionals from local firms, students experienced every stage of the design process, from brainstorming and site exploration to building their own physical models.
@bsaaia@pic.boston
For #CTEmonth, we’re highlighting key elements of a successful career technical learning environment from our design of the new Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School, which will open its doors this fall.
CTE engages students in skills-based instruction, providing practical knowledge and hands-on experiences to prepare them for future pursuits from careers in critical industries to higher education. A well-designed career technical school enhances this mission with shops, labs, classrooms, and collaboration spaces tailored to unique programmatic needs while remaining flexible to support rapidly evolving curriculum and technologies.
While no two HMFH schools are the same, we often incorporate vibrant pops of color into our exterior designs to create the lively, inviting presence that clients have come to expect from our projects. We use color thoughtfully and strategically to highlight key spaces from entry points to collaboration zones on the interior, visually break up long facades, and celebrate school pride.
🎨 Saugus Middle High School | Saugus, MA
🎨 Thompson Elementary School | Arlington, MA
🎨 Josiah Quincy Upper School | Boston, MA
🎨 Chapman Middle School | Weymouth, MA
🎨 Brewster Elementary School | Brewster, MA
This #ThrowbackThursday, we’re sharing an early drawing of breakout space at the #FloridaRuffinRidleySchool ✏️
Playful, hand-drawn renderings such as this have long been an essential part of our design process, capturing the energy of a space and illustrating the lively moments not shown in floor plans or models.
#Sketch #Rendering #HandRendering #ArchitecturalDrawing #SchoolDesign
In the early stages of design, we use physical models as a tool to study how a building fits within its site and relates to its surroundings.
As we reimagine Needham’s #PollardMiddleSchool, models help both the design team and project stakeholders visualize the school’s impact, from its scale relative to neighboring buildings to its integration with the site topography. Each iteration helps us make thoughtful, informed design decisions that will benefit Needham students and community members.
#architecture #modelmaking #studymodels #schooldesign
