Custom Siding and Trim Elements Bring Classic Style to New Massachusetts School

When it comes to school design, some façades set a clear tone. That’s the case for St. Benedict Classical Academy, an independent K-8 Catholic school in Natick, Massachusetts. Inside and out, the school’s new home evokes a classic, New England-inspired design that betrays its 2024 new-construction timeframe, with traditional stylings, authentic details and a stately feel that no doubt elicits immediate confidence for educators, parents and students alike.

“Rooted in the Greco-Roman foundations of Western architecture, this building was designed to reflect the school's identity as a Catholic and classical institution, from the symmetrical façade and arcaded loggia to the cupola crowned with a raven weathervane,” Harrison Design explains. “Inside, marble floors, bronze railings and a coffered ceiling with a skylight create an entry sequence that dignifies the community it serves every day.⁠”

On the exterior, each element was intentional and customized to exacting specifications. Harrison Design worked with DURATION MOULDING & MILLWORK to create siding and trim pieces using TruExterior, a poly-ash material that combines the look of wood with unmatched long-term performance. Nearly every inch of the façade, aside from the windows, bricks and roofing, feature DURATION’s custom-crafted trim and siding.

“When we first saw the plans, I was struck by the fact that everything was specified custom. The team at Harrison are experts in classic design, and they knew exactly what they wanted to achieve at St. Benedict,” says DURATION President and CEO Keith Coleman. “We fabricated over 50 custom moulding profiles and a custom siding profile for this project.”

Authentic Details Meet High Performance

Many of the exterior mouldings were unique, and many were massive in both thickness and width. Several, such as the cornices, had layers and layers of detailing. Even so, DURATION’s years of experience crafting custom trim and siding with TruExterior helped keep schedules on track, with a standard lead time of about two to three weeks once the profiles were confirmed.

Among the pieces were a series of “scribed panels” featuring Latin quotations made with a CNC machine. DURATION worked closely with Harrison Design to determine the perfect font, layout and depth of cut to achieve the exact feel the architects were seeking.  

The highly customized trim and millwork were made possible by the tremendous workability of  TruExterior, which exceeds that of wood without sacrificing the look, feel and character of traditional wood products. The material offers easy fabrication, allows for crisp custom details and helps achieve complex architectural designs without compromising craftsmanship.

This is perhaps most evident in the medallion of the school’s seal. Originally specified in bronze, Coleman advocated that it also be crafted by DURATION. “They gave us a charm to work off of. It was very important to them. But I knew we could create it,” Coleman recalls. “I knew money was tight at that point, so we said we’d do it for free. It was our gift back to them.”

For the siding, DURATION crafted a 6-1/2” reveal beveled profile — in between the 6” and 7” offering the company typically sells — to meet the architects’ specifications. The clapboard-style siding furthers the New England feel alongside the building’s cedar roof shingles and black, two-panel shutters, also crafted with TruExterior. Because of the poly-ash material’s dimensional stability, the shutters were painted with a traditional dark hue.

Designed for the Duration

While the designs for St. Benedict Classical Academy are traditional, TruExterior is a modern material, engineered with a proprietary formulation of fly ash and polymers. The material is able to deliver the authentic look of wood and can be machined just like wood, but its dimensional stability and lack of any organic material eliminates common issues like insect devastation, warping, decay and mold growth as well as the associated upkeep with natural materials.

“The architect’s direction from the client was to provide a traditional aesthetic, like that of wood, but without the ongoing and costly maintenance of wood,” Coleman says. “TruExterior fits that criteria perfectly.”

The authentic feel Harrison Design and DURATION achieved has captured attention from more than just St. Benedict students and faculty: This spring, the project was recognized with an Addison Mizner Award from the Florida Chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, honoring designers advancing the ideals of classicism and traditional design in architecture. 

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