LeftField was initially hired by the City of Lynn in 2015 to manage the feasibility study for the Pickering Middle School project. This effort quickly expanded into three projects due to the design enrollment assigned by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). The initiative included the construction of a new facility for Pickering Middle and the addition of a new West Lynn Middle School, along with the realignment/renovation of Breed Middle School to comprehensively address the district’s middle school needs. However, the project did not pass the Debt Override Election in March 2017.

In May 2022, LeftField was rehired as the Owner’s Project Manager (OPM) for the new Pickering Middle School. The 183,834-square-foot school was designed to accommodate 1,100 students and is being located adjacent to Sisson Elementary School, which is connected to the old Pickering Middle School. The building is designed to integrate into the hillside that slopes down to Magnolia Park, with the ground floor opening onto the park level and the second floor connecting to the Sisson School level.  Magnolia Park presents significant challenges due to its history as a former lakebed and the presence of urban fill. Additionally, the park is situated within a FEMA-designated floodplain. The silty, sandy soils have also required careful consideration of settlement during construction.

Given the limited available footprint, the new school was designed as a five-story structure. Grade-level clusters are housed on the upper floors, while common spaces occupy the lower two floors. The school includes specialized career vocational spaces for Carpentry, TV Broadcasting, Engineering & Technology, Culinary Arts, Sewing, and Drama Production. A rooftop learning deck, accessible from the second floor, will enhance Environmental Science instruction.

Construction began in the summer of 2024 and is expected to be completed by December 2026.