Lexington, MA Erland Construction teamed up with ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge to build a new multi-purpose campus center addition for the Cotting School. Cotting is a private, non-profit educational organization that fosters academic achievement, skill development and social-emotional maturity by providing an array of integrated services and meeting the unique needs of students ages 3-22 with a broad spectrum of learning and communication disabilities, physical challenges, and complex medical conditions.

Erland completed the 25,000 s/f, two-story addition to the school’s main building in 14 months. Dubbed the “Campus Center of Excellence,” the venue provides Cotting students with a new space to continue to achieve their highest learning potential and level of independence. The addition was designed and constructed to meet the accessibility needs of the student population and houses a full, regulation-sized gymnasium for basketball and other sports, an ADA-compliant candlepin bowling alley, and a two-story, fully-accessible rock-climbing wall. It also offers two new classrooms for performing and visual arts, music, film making, photography, and other arts program, including a green-screen for creating visual effects and a kiln for firing pottery. A new social studies classroom on the lower floor provides extra space for teaching and learning.

“This building adds year-round options for team-building, after-school programming and recreation, and keeps the Cotting School on the cutting edge of special education,” said Bridget Irish, president of the Cotting School. “We are excited to continue to meet the needs of our current and future students in this, our 127^th year of innovation and excellence.”

Cotting’s candlepin bowling lanes are two of the last of their kind installed in the New England area. According to the Massachusetts Bowling Association, as of May 2021, only 23 candlepin bowling alleys remain in the state. Prior to its closing in 2017, Cotting students frequented Lanes & Games in Cambridge to bowl. It was important to the school to incorporate an alley into the build so their community could once again enjoy this challenging indoor sport.

“This project has been extremely rewarding for us and we’re proud of what we’ve built for Cotting School and its students,” said Steve Craft, academic group manager, Erland Construction. “We value the relationships we’ve built with the Cotting faculty, staff, students, alumni, families, and board members and look forward to remaining involved with the school far beyond the completion of this project.”

Cotting School has invited Erland and ARC back to complete the interior renovation of the former gymnasium and occupational/physical therapy spaces.