The new Josiah Quincy Upper School faced several challenges during its development — the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and a $30 million cost increase. But now the opening is near. To find out about the planned opening, Sampan spoke with Richard Chang, principal of the Josiah Quincy Upper School about the project to date.
Sampan: How is the construction progressing as we close out 2023? Are there any structural changes from the original plans?
Chang: The project management team anticipates the school building to be ready by June 2024. There have been no significant structural changes since 2022 although construction costs escalated by $30 million due to the pandemic supply chain inflation. At this point, the final cost will be $223 million.
Sampan: Sampan was excited to be at the topping off ceremony at the start of 2023. How are you recording this construction journey for future generations?
Chang: The pursuit of a new school building started from the very inception of the Josiah Quincy Upper School in 1999. Whether our former 20 Church Street or 900 Washington Street or our current 152 Arlington Street building, we have not had adequate facilities. We’ve had numerous false starts in building projects. We’ve collected a paper trail of all of our building projects. Our project architect (HMFH), in particular, has kept records of the history of our current building project. Apparently, the City’s PFD department has a camera positioned on the new building, so they can produce a time-lapsed video of the entire 2-year construction process.
Sampan: Schools are often just the way stations between where we are now and where we plan to be in a few years and we dismiss their significance as physical entities. Is it different for the JQUS students?
Chang: The young people make inferences about how much society values them. Expensive private schools tend to have newer and nicer facilities. Our current Arlington Street building dates back to 1912 and requires much repair and updating. By contrast, our new building will be state of the art. Students who have seen the new building interior under construction are wowed by the enormous size of the whole building and by the larger spaces available to students. I definitely hear talk among students and families about their excitement. Our Chinatown boys and girls should feel proud that they are getting a new $223 million school building.
Sampan: What do you think the transformed JQUS will do for the aesthetics of Chinatown? Will it be able to retain this neighborhood’s history while serving as a vanguard for future architectural projects?
Richard Chang: The building architects (HMFH) were respectful about the architectural context of Washington Street and Harrison Avenue. The two sides of the building are different to reflect the different characteristics of the neighbors. Washington Street is more institutional near Marginal Road while Harrison Avenue is more residential and smaller in scale. The building echoes the colors found on our sister school, the Josiah Quincy Elementary School.
In terms of Chinatown history, we are engaging with the Chinatown Historical Society of New England to develop special exhibitions that we can display on the ground floor of our new building.
Sampan: Given that the new school is in the heart of Chinatown, is it expected that a significant portion of the applicants to JQUS will be of Asian descent? How does the school plan to manage enrollment to maintain diversity and ensure educational equity?”
Richard Chang: Currently, JQUS student population is 52% Asian, 22% Hispanic, 19% Black and 6% White. We currently have open-enrollment in grades 6 and 7, and next year we will add grade 8 for open enrollment. As our student population continues to increase and draw from across the city, we anticipate modest increases in the percentage of our non-Asian population. By the way, even Chinatown itself has diversified ethnically and socioeconomically over time.
Sampan: In a previous discussion, you noted that all “big box” spaces at JQUS are situated on the lower floors to facilitate public access. Can you elaborate on how the school intends to balance these areas’ use for educational activities and community services?”
Richard Chang: During school days and school hours, the school facilities will be dedicated to our students’ use. During after-school hours and weekends, our community partners will have opportunities to use the building to serve the needs of Chinatown’s young people and families.
Sampan: Does JQUS have any strategies for integrating innovative educational approaches with the advanced facilities on its new campus? How do you envision these facilities contributing to the holistic development of the students?
Richard Chang: In our new building, “form follows function.” The spaces reflect the programmatic purposes they will serve. For instance, new spaces will enable us to offer International Baccalaureate Design programming in food science, robotics and computer coding. Our lab spaces will enable experimental learning in chemistry, physics and biology. Our large and small music spaces will enable the cultivation of both band and orchestra musicians. Our auditorium stage and black box theater will extend our theater arts programming. Our alternative PE space will support our dance program. Our arts spaces will include both 2D and 3D art studios. The rooftop will have native New England vegetation and landscaping that will serve our students in counseling and provide outdoor learning space. Finally, our new gymnasium will enable us to offer more after-school sports programming and host our own sports teams.
Sampan: Can you describe any specific design features of the new school building that address student and staff safety concerns, particularly in areas such as fire prevention, structural hazards, and emergency situations?
Richard Chang:
(1) The new building is designed with climate resilience in mind. It is raised three feet higher to anticipate the future increase in water table levels. All mechanicals are elevated with many pieces of equipment located on the rooftop.
(2) It will be equipped with all state of the art fire suppression equipment, including special fans that create positive pressure in stairwells to expel smoke in the event of a fire. The stairwells will also accommodate communication equipment (lessons from 9/11 World Trade Center attacks).
(3) The building will have one main entrance and exit to ensure only authorized persons are admitted into the building. The first floor windows will be impact resistant. Video cameras and two way speaker systems will be present throughout the building.
(4) The building is designed to mitigate the air pollution generated by vehicles traveling on Mass Pike and the Expressway. All air intake mechanicals are located on the rooftop, where the air is much cleaner than at ground levels. It will have MERV-14 air filtration and air circulation that minimizes air recycling the building, both of which would have mitigated COVID-19 transmission.
Sampan: Are there any aspects of the design or facilities of JQUS ‘new campus that you find particularly noteworthy or are especially proud of?
Chang: In general, the design of the building is intensely thoughtful in terms of academic and social emotional programming needs and the functional operations of the school. It will be a LEED-Gold building with a zero-carbon footprint.
