The Derby Academy master plan and feasibility study establish a framework for the school’s long-term growth. The plan identifies library, science, and technology spaces as primary priorities while also addressing administrative needs, classroom requirements, and upgrades to existing facilities.
Through OL+’s Immersion Process, the design team worked closely with the Derby community to understand how changes in technology were reshaping learning. The school no longer needed dedicated computer rooms because computers had become decentralized. What it needed was a shared place where different disciplines could meet and students could work together on larger projects.
That idea became the Healey Family Center for Innovation. Located along a central path through the school, the Center is part workspace and part thoroughfare. Students and faculty pass through it throughout the day and return to it for projects across the academic year. Tools, technology, and supplies are stored behind panels and doors built into the walls. Opening them quickly transforms the room for a new class, project, or activity. Technology integrated into the space and ceiling grid supports changing audiovisual and telecommunications needs.
The Center is also home to Derby’s Makerspace, with equipment that includes 3D printers, laser cutters, and drill presses. Here, students connect STEM concepts with hands-on experimentation, test ideas, solve problems, and learn from the failures that are part of making something new.
