Tour and Happy Hour

Gardiner Middle School

January 24, 2023
5:00 – 6:00 pm Pacific

205 Williams Street
Oregon City, OR 97045

The new Gardiner Middle School represents Oregon City School District’s commitment to reimagining the middle school experience to put students first. Through an inclusive, student-centered design process, students championed dynamic solutions alongside District leaders, educators, and designers that create opportunities for students to grow as individuals, build relationships with peers and teachers, and flourish in community. Centered around the core theme of By Students, For Students, the new school environment was designed to amplify student autonomy and inspire a sense of belonging, empowering students to be active co-creators of their middle school experience. Timber Hall, Gardiner’s comprehensive social gathering space, performance venue, and extended education space, epitomizes the By Students, For Students design concept. Students on the Design Committee dreamt about a central space that would enable the whole school community to come together. Located prominently near the main entrance, Timber Hall allows students to embrace a sense of agency as they navigate interconnected spaces to meet diverse and changing needs, from gathering and socialization to decompression and quiet study. Gardiner’s student-centered Learning Neighborhoods support the District’s new deeper-learning pedagogy, empowering students and educators to take ownership of their learning spaces. Each neighborhood features open collaboration spaces, various hands-on labs, instructional studios, and a learning stair. Unlike traditional classrooms where teachers "own" the space and students move from room to room, Learning Neighborhoods were designed for teachers and students to negotiate spatial needs, fostering more equitable, relationally driven teacher-student dynamics. Additionally, storage cubbies and gender-neutral restrooms were integrated into each neighborhood, creating a home base for students that alleviate typical sources of adolescent anxiety like crowded corridors, lockers, and poorly supervised restrooms.

Learning Objectives:

• Explore tangible design solutions that were directly and meaningfully informed by student insight.
• Explore learning environments specifically designed to alleviate stress among middle school students and promote more equitable, collaborative student-teacher relationships.
• Explore how central and dynamic spaces like Timber Hall empower students to exercise choice and autonomy.
• Explore how indoor and outdoor spaces can provide student centered environments.
• Explore a holistic sustainable design approach that encompassed goals ranging from efficiency and resiliency to pedagogy and student experience.

Project Team:
Architect of Record: BRIC Architecture
Landscape Architect: Walker
Structural Engineer: Macy
Electrical & Mechanical Engineer: KPFF
Civil Engineer: Cross
Contractor: Interface Engineering
Specialized Consultants:
   Cost, Value Analysis: Pence Construction
   Acoustical: BRC Acoustics

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm	Tour Gardiner Middle School 205 Williams Street Oregon City, OR 97045
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm	Happy Hour Midway Historic Public House 1003 7th St. Oregon City, OR 97045

Member: Free | Non-member: $20

Last day to register: January 23, 2023 at 2:00 pm Pacific