The Trinity College School campus is made up of old neo-gothic brick and stone buildings dating from the late 1800s, and woven together with buildings built throughout the 1900s. The primary goal of the Learning Commons Project was to create a space that supports and encourages multiple learning styles: social learning, individual study, group study, group projects, one-on-one guidance, and classroom instruction. With this in mind, and to accommodate a growth in space needs, an underused courtyard near the heart of the campus was enclosed to create a new Student Commons space.

A large new lower lounge space was designed to be flexible in order to accommodate various student, staff, and alumni functions and events, while on a typical day, couches and tables provide an open environment for students to socialize, collaborate, or study. The west-facing wall is an expansive window, connecting the space to the school’s large front lawn beyond. A smaller upper lounge provides a more intimate space for group and focused learning.

At the top of the stairs, the new library is designed to respond to the changing needs and tasks performed by today’s students. While no longer merely a depository for books and a place of quiet study, the library design promotes discussion and facilitates collaboration by providing a number of ways students can partake in group study. Other parts of the library and administration spaces below were renovated to improve the school’s expanding academic support and guidance programs.