Upper School Engineering Students Connect Classroom Learning to St. Margaret’s Commons Construction

Upper School students enrolled in Introduction to Engineering took their lessons into the field this week, visiting the St. Margaret’s Commons construction site to see firsthand how engineering principles come to life in a real-world project.

 

The visit concluded an insightful classroom presentation by members of the teams working on the St. Margaret’s Commons, which will open in 2026. The presenters included architects Mike McAndrew and Michael Viscetto of Bastien and Associates, and Bill Thorpe of KPFF Consulting Engineers. They spoke with students about the decision-making process behind the structure’s design, covering topics such as material selection, load-bearing requirements, and sustainability considerations.

 

Students then gathered at the St. Margaret’s Commons construction site for additional insight on the construction process. 

 

The special presentation aligns well with the Introduction to Engineering curriculum, which early in the school year focuses on fundamentals such as materials, their properties, and how those materials are applied in different specialties of engineering.

 

Upper School students applied their classroom knowledge of materials to identify design elements in the building’s framework, gained exposure to several engineering specialties related to construction, and learned how a design concept progresses from blueprint to finished structure.

 

The construction of the St. Margaret’s Commons, a 30,000-square-foot building that will feature a kitchen and dining hall, sports performance and community gathering spaces, offered a rare opportunity to apply learning to a significant project right on campus. 

 

As the Commons continues to rise, beam by beam, St. Margaret’s students will have ongoing opportunities to observe the construction process as their knowledge builds in theory, design, and innovation.