Madeira Officially Opens New STEAM Academic Center

Madeira students were thrilled to commence a year of learning in the new STEAM Academic Center as the 2023/24 school year began. At over 33,000 square feet, the STEAM Center has plenty of space to facilitate interdisciplinary, experiential learning and ensure Madeira is positioned at the forefront of innovative teaching and learning. 

The impressive two-story lobby invites students and educators in. A projector system spanning the lobby displays work that students are creating within the building. Each classroom is ultra-flexible to cater to the specific needs of a course, while also inspiring serendipitous moments of learning and collaboration across disciplines through frequent interaction. A plethora of resources are at the fingertips of students so they can explore and find their passions.   

To celebrate the opening of the building – on time and on budget – the School held a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on September 21, 2023 that included former Heads of School, Trustees, faculty and staff, students, and donors who helped make the building possible.  

Head of School Christina Kyong expressed gratitude on behalf of the School. “We are incredibly grateful to the many people who made this building – the only new academic construction in nearly 50 years – a reality!” Ms. Kyong continued, “This hub of hands-on, interdisciplinary learning will prepare Madeira graduates to lead in fields that exist today as well as those that have yet to be created.” 

In this incubator of creative problem solving, there are plenty of science classrooms, with additional spaces that enhance experiential learning -- including lab prep areas for each discipline and experiment fume hoods where teachers can conduct advanced experiments on one side of the glass that are then displayed for students on the monitor on the other side of the glass.   

Additionally, the arts spaces were expanded so students can exhibit Madeira’s core value of creativity in each area of STEAM. Such courses include dark room photography, drawing, painting (with a plethora of natural light from the large windows), and ceramics. The Maker Space and Fabrication Lab house state- of-the-art equipment, including laser printers and 3D printers.   

The math program has plenty of space in the building as well, with moveable tables, whiteboard walls for student centered learning, and collaborative study spaces.   

“Our beautiful new STEAM Center is the most inviting learning space on the planet for young women in the ever-evolving STEAM fields,” shares M.A. Mahoney, Dean of Academics. 

Each floor inspires new directions by mixing a variety of STEAM courses so that students and educators can work on building skills across disciplines all in one center, inspiring each other to look at similar topics in different, dynamic ways. 

The new Center reinforces Madeira’s belief in hands-on learning by linking abstract concepts with practical applications, supporting students to be part of creating and understanding how technology can transform lives. 

The STEAM Center is the largest hub of learning on campus, and it also serves as a hub for building community. A large multipurpose room is perfect for large-scale meetings and events, and it even has a Nutrition Lab attached. Students enjoy the many cozy hangout, collaboration, and study spaces throughout the three levels.  

Centerbrook Architects designed the STEAM Center with Madeira’s land and natural resource stewardship in mind. While the design provides an elegant counterpart to Madeira’s cherished historic buildings, it also signals that the empowerment of women is critically important.  

In its storied history, Madeira has continually forged a path for what is possible, creating programs and spaces that enable young women to realize their potential and thrive. In her remarks at the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Board Chair Anita Tolani ’91, P’24 welcomed the students with these words: “We hope you find this a space where you can learn, grow, be messy…We hope you see great success, have epic failures, and rebound with buoyancy within these walls.” In keeping with Madeira’s mission to ‘launch women who change the world,’ Ms. Tolani told the students, “We believe in you to make our world a better place.” 

Madeira partnered with Coakley Williams Construction for the design and construction of the building. Using the “design-build” model enabled favorable pricing in the rising materials market and allowed early procurement of long lead time items, a fortuitous choice given the supply chain issues and raw material shortages throughout the project. 

The building is equipped with solar panels and energy-efficient materials as well as bird-friendly glass. The outside of the building will soon have a large outdoor patio that expands across the area where the old science building used to be. In addition, the STEAM building helped improve drainage in the area, allowing the School to restore the amphitheater for graduation ceremonies and other school events.   

"This building was designed to provide a serendipitous, collaborative environment," remarked Science Department Co-Chair Stacy Tippens. "Because we have arts, science, and math all together in the same building, we're naturally running into each other, which we didn't have the opportunity to do before because we were spread out all over campus. I am seeing the benefits of having us in the same building. It's a beautiful space."

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