Hands On STEM
Cazenovia Central School District
High School STEM Suite Creation
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Tetra Tech served as the architectural and engineering firm for the new STEM suite at Cazenovia High School, partnering closely with the school and the NYS Education Department to find expansion opportunities without reducing building aid. By creatively interpreting code and using space already within the building footprint, the team converted an underused ground-floor area into a modern, flexible learning environment that supports hands-on STEM instruction and the school’s goals for innovation.
The suite is arranged as two connected zones to support both fabrication and instruction. One zone functions as a maker space, equipped with small power tools and traditional shop equipment for building and fabrication. The adjacent zone is a cleaner classroom set up for testing, programming, and robotics. Overhead doors separate the areas so they can operate independently or open into a single, continuous workspace. This arrangement allows students to move naturally from ideation and design to fabrication and testing during project-based lessons.
Practical decisions were made to keep the space adaptable for future needs. Large 8x8 foot doors link the lab directly to an exterior loading dock, making it simple to bring in large materials and finished projects. Because the lab has no suspended ceiling, Tetra Tech installed an overhead electrical bus that delivers power anywhere in the room, enabling a wide range of tools and equipment without costly rework as programs evolve. These features help ensure the suite can accommodate changing technologies and project scales over time.
The team intentionally exposed building systems to turn the spaces into opportunities to learn. Visible ductwork, spray-applied fireproofing painted in the school’s blue and gold colors, and round, easy-to-clean ducts help students see how mechanical systems work. This “building as the third teacher” approach reinforces systems thinking and gives learners real examples of engineering and construction principles in their everyday environment.
The suite also includes several practical support systems including a fume hood for painting and finishing tasks, compressed air services for pneumatic tools, deep storage racks for long and bulky materials, and layered lighting controls to suit different activities. These elements keep the workspace safe, organized, and ready for a wide variety of projects, from small robotics builds to larger fabrication efforts.
Adjacent learning spaces were reworked to strengthen collaboration. A business classroom was connected to the lab to encourage cross-disciplinary projects, and the existing CADD classroom was expanded and given a view into the STEM space so teachers can observe and coordinate work. The CADD room shares the same overhead electrical bus, enabling seamless integration of design, prototyping, and fabrication.
Tetra Tech’s design delivers a resilient, process-driven learning environment where students can imagine, create, and test all in one technology and to material rich suite. The result is an immersive STEM facility that supports current curriculum goals while remaining flexible enough to meet future instructional and technological changes.