Berkshire School
Sheffield, MA

For well over a decade, STIMSON has undertaken a series of campus-wide projects at Berkshire School, an independent school dedicated to pioneering environmental, social and economic sustainability. A comprehensive framework study was undertaken to determine how the landscape can reinforce the identity of the school. The study establishes guiding design principles and a sound environmental and economic ethic for future growth and maintenance. A new LEED Silver Math + Science Building for the campus was completed in 2013. The site is located at the base of Mount Everett and is re-envisioned as a ‘living laboratory’ for outdoor learning for the students and faculty. Renovations to the existing Athletic Center involved the creative creation of outdoor gathering spaces from reclaimed building materials, retrofitting green roofs, rainwater harvesting, solar and wind power and a community garden to support the School’s mission of achieving a carbon-neutral campus. In 2011, Berkshire School opened the largest solar field in the state of MA, generating 40% of the School’s power needs. STIMSON completed the meadow restoration and circulation plan for the project. STIMSON has also completed a re-design of the School’s entry and comprehensive wayfinding signage, a celebratory response to Berkshire’s distinct identity as a rural mountain school.  

Collaborators
Centerbrook Architects and Planners 
Moser Pilon Nelson Architects 

Photography
Ngoc Doan
Charles Mayer