Middlesex School

With a fast-growing student population, Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts, needed to enhance its shared spaces for students and faculty and the boarding school community at large. The resulting plans for renovations and a new athletic facility provided the perfect opportunity for placemaking on campus.

In 2020, Project for Public Spaces held interviews, multiple workshops, and a pop-up event, gathering ideas from students, school administrators, faculty members, campus staff, and trustees. It was clear that Middlesex had many existing outdoor spaces with the potential for further activation. The campus community agreed they wanted more spaces that shared as much cultural significance as the "Circle," a well-loved lawn area next to the Ware Hall campus center, which plays host to traditional school ceremonies and informal social activity. The sense of community and camaraderie that the "Circle" supports daily was the guiding force behind Middlesex's placemaking process.