The first renderings of the new high school and middle school campus in Torrington have been released. The city and school district are preparing to break ground this summer on a new 310,000 square-foot building.
According to the Torrington school district, a new building is needed because the schools are outdated. The design had to be revised to accommodate more students.
The building was designed by SLAM Collaborative, a Glastonbury-based architect, and will feature the middle school on one side and the high school on the other with a connection between the two buildings.
The new campus will be built on the site of the current high school, according to SLAM Collaborative. Each school will also have its own entrance, cafeteria and gym. The high school building will also become home to the Central Administration offices.
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Each building will also have its own specialty spaces, designed to accommodate the learning needs of students, SLAM Collaborative said.
The middle school will feature two STEM-specific spaces and a computer coding lab. The high school will include a number of pathway spaces for students preparing for various career fields, including a culinary lab, an automotive shop, construction and technology lab as well as a lab for 3D printing, robotics and drones.
The new project will also feature a 480-seat auditorium, two music technology labs, a ceramics studio and a video production studio.
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For those getting ready for a career in education, a pre-school playground will be located on the Besse Park side of the building for students in the school readiness program to use. The playground will also be open to the public when school is not in session.
Groundbreaking on the new campus is set for this summer and the current high school will remain open during construction.
The construction company O&G Industries said they expect to begin building the new buildings in October and hope to have it open to students in February 2025.
The current high school is set to be demolished in 2025 and will be replaced with new athletic fields.
The entire project is expected to be completed in January 2026.
