Athletics Addition and New OT/PT Suite, Cotting School

Cotting School is a private non-profit school that serves the needs of students with a broad spectrum of learning and communication disabilities, physical challenges and complex medical conditions.

The new Campus Center addition and therapy space provide desperately needed areas for the school’s athletic and academic programs. The Campus Center has become a social hub for Cotting students on Friday nights — a wonderful benefit for the school’s 120 students who are drawn from 70 different cities and towns in the greater Boston area. The gym, candlepin bowling lanes, fitness center and adaptive climbing wall are all magnets that give students opportunities to hang out with their peers in a safe and stimulating setting unavailable to them outside of school. The former gymnasium is now home to the OT/PT suite, designed in concert with the new campus center to support this critical component of the school’s mission. 

The glassy new addition was sited to connect two existing dead-end corridors and provide easy access for students with mobility issues. Branded with oversized letters shouting out the school’s name with pride, the new gymnasium has north-facing clerestory glazing and a generous fenestration pattern to provide both daylight and views of the surrounding natural landscape. The roof is gently sloped to provide the optimal angle for future solar panels. Inside, the finish palette creates an upbeat environment, using vibrant hues found in the outdoors. Bridging indoor and outdoor, the new addition also encloses a peaceful contemplative garden that connects to both the climbing wall and the existing medical clinic.

ARCHITECT OF RECORD

ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge Inc. 

Boston, Mass.

PROJECT VENDORS