Following many sessions to gather input from stakeholders, the new J.C. Booth Middle School was designed and constructed when the school system determined that the former J.C. Booth Middle School could no longer accommodate the more than 1,200 students enrolled there. With approximately 20,000 students in 24 schools, Fayette County Public Schools serves a growing population of over 120,000 in south metro Atlanta.
Throughout the firm’s 74-year history, MSSA-PBK built its reputation for school design around the premise that the facility and its surroundings should be conducive to education, user friendly, equipped with the latest technology, and a source of pride for the students, faculty, and the community. A series of programming and design meetings identified the client’s vision and needs. The firm’s long relationship with the school system over the past 30+ years provided a firm foundation for understanding needs and goals.
MSSA-PBK designed the new J.C. Booth Middle School with a core infrastructure and classroom capacity to accommodate up to 1,450 students. The new building has advanced safety features, including a secured entry vestibule, larger common spaces, and wider hallways than the previous facility. “It feels like it's a fresh new start," said Principal Deb Troutman. "It’s very refreshing. You cannot walk into this building and not be excited about it.” The school can be accessed from two different roads and is connected to the Peachtree City golf cart system.
Natural lighting, openness, and intuitive circulation provide the user with a sense of wellbeing. Both inside and outside the building, circulation is coherent and easy to comprehend. Interior circulation eliminates dead-end corridors and allows views to the outside. Corridor intersections are expanded to minimize congestion and create informal learning spaces.
School safety was of paramount importance in the design. MSSA-PBK used best practice recommendations in the design, knowing that the built environment affects behavior. Entry points are limited, and the school is robustly secured by advanced access control systems. An open landscape plan, parking lot lighting, and clear sight lines allow for natural surveillance and effective wayfinding.
In addition to designing the new school, MSSA-PBK designed a major modernization to the former J.C. Booth Middle School, which now serves as the school district’s Center of Innovation and offers a variety of advanced learning opportunities for students in Fayette County Public Schools.