Mendham, NJ | 2,909 sf

Striving to fulfill their mission to provide learning experiences that assure students are prepared to grow as individuals and become responsible members of tomorrow’s global community, Mountain View Middle School was aware they had a library problem. Outdated and filled with books students rarely checked out, the library needed to transform into a flexible, 21st century media center.

dancker was enthusiastic to work with Mountain View to meet the high expectations for their project. Incorporating modular walls, flexible furniture, integrated technology, imaging, privacy film, and paint services, the new media center features three main spaces: a quiet reading room for focus, collaborative areas for group work and creativity, and a makerspace that promotes active learning.

The quiet reading room is defined by a modular interior wall consisting of both glass and solid panels. While the room’s acoustic security limits distractions from other areas of the media center, glass panels with graphic film provide visibility into the rest of the media center to prevent users inside from feeling completely isolated. The solid wall panels feature two integrated 55” displays facing outwards towards the collaborative and makerspace areas. Together with two 70” wall mounted displays on an adjacent wall, there are many opportunities to inspire and engage students through presentations, digital signage, and school branding.

Due to the diversity of learning activities that will occur in the space, a variety of flexible surfaces and seating are available to keep students engaged. Selected to encourage mobility, the seating will help students adapt to different group sizes and tasks as well as offer different posture options to match students’ preferred study needs.

Because the media center has the potential to accommodate many students and educators at one time, sound masking and Thread Power Distribution Systems have been integrated into the space. Sound masking will decrease the amount of conversation and noise carried throughout the media center to reduce distractions to others nearby. Installed beneath the floor, Thread provides a source to power furniture and mobile devices away from wall outlets and without distracting foot traffic.

Of the students’ response to the new space, Principal Aimee Toth said, “Their reactions were priceless! One asked if she could live there, others commented on how modern the space was, and another said she’d never leave school if all of her classes were in that space. We also had one student grab a book and curl up in the chair under the lamp in the Reading Nook the second she came in.”

Through a blending of traditional and new learning styles demanded of today’s students, Mountain View’s new media center clearly succeeds in delivering a 21st century education space that both students and educators are excited to use.

Watch the transformation of the Media Center through our time-lapse video.