Hilltop Montessori School

Hilltop Montessori School hired Stevens & Associates to assist with the site selection, feasibility study, site design, and environmental permitting of a new, 24,000-square-foot primary, elementary, and middle school.

Working with a short timeline and restricted budget, Stevens & Associates provided guidance on the public process in addition to site design, civil engineering, and landscape architecture services.

Green building and LEED certification goals added to the complexity of the project.The project included the renovation of two existing buildings and the construction of three new buildings.

The site layout gives preference to pedestrians by locating parking at the rear of the site and placing the new buildings in a compact layout. The buildings are oriented for maximum solar gain and daylighting as well as access to outdoor spaces.

Playground spaces and athletic fields are joined by outdoor “rooms,” an entrance courtyard, vegetable and flower gardens, and open space. A constructed wetland provides stormwater management as well as educational opportunities.

Stevens & Associates assisted with a public outreach campaign for the project, and led the permitting effort for Act 250, Stormwater, Water & Wastewater, and Zoning permits.