QA+M Architecture transformed a PCB-contaminated 10,000 square foot vocational wing, formerly home to traditional shop classrooms, into the Academy of Aerospace & Engineering at John Wallace Middle School. The facility supports a rigorous aerospace-focused STEM curriculum for seventh and eighth grade students, offering learning experiences across a broad range of aerospace disciplines including aeronautics, air navigation, aerospace physiology, and the physics of spacecraft operation.

The academy is designed to emulate a research facility, supporting project-based learning through a model-building workshop, 3D modeling equipment, a wind tunnel for testing model planes, flight simulators, and flexible furnishings throughout. Electrical reel power supplies drop from the ceiling to support adaptable lab configurations, and the open flow between labs and shared spaces strengthens the connection between the physical environment and the curriculum.