How much school does $154.6 million buy?

It is already tagged as the most expensive high school in Massachusetts: a $154.6 million showplace, designed by an internationally renowned architect and awaited with some anxiety by the residents of Newton.

The new Newton North High School's design features a new outdoor stadium, an indoor swimming pool, state-of-the-art vocational education workshops, a glass-walled cafeteria, a restaurant, and an architecturally trendy zigzag shape. At 1,040 feet, the building is 200 feet longer than the Mall at Chestnut Hill.

But now, even before ground has been broken, some are wondering how the cost got so huge, and whether the project is ushering in a new era of budget-buster high schools.

State education officials say that the new $127 million high school planned for Quincy -- the costliest construction project in that city's history -- could actually outpace Newton North in terms of construction cost per student. And Newton officials are struggling to trim to project to meet Mayor David Cohen's target cost of $141 million, the amount he says the city can afford and still have money left over for its dilapidated fire stations and aging elementary schools.

The ultimate cost of the building will also depend heavily on the outcome of negotiations between the city and it s chosen manager , Dimeo Construction, for the building phase of the project . But to meet the $141 million target, project planners have put together a cut list. Should the new school have carpet throughout? Vinyl tile might do. A theater with balcony and loge seating? A single-level auditorium may be enough. And the exterior bricks? Well, planners are considering substituting polished "masonry units" -- basically cosmetically enhanced concrete blocks -- on parts of the exterior.

The list presents an ironic twist for the project's planners, who must now try to keep the most expensive high school in state history from looking -- for lack of a better term -- cheap. Last week, Cohen made several design decisions, including to spend more money for a more efficient central heating and air conditioning system and an all-brick exterior, and to save money by opting for a flat roof and a smaller main corridor. Cohen also decided against cutting the theater balcony.

Newton School Superintendent Jeffrey Young said function is more important than form.

"If they have legitimate efficiencies for building and equally sturdy and solid building at a lower cost, I don't know how anybody would object to that," Young said. "But we don't want to compromise the program."

Newton voters approved the project by a wide (58 percent) margin in a January referendum, in part based on Cohen's pledge that he would cap the price at $141 million. But even if he can, many are wondering, what is the city going to get for its money? And why is the project costing so much more than other recently built schools?

Lincoln-Sudbury, for example, finished a new high school of approximately the same size, 1,850 students , in 2004 for about half the cost -- $74 million. Shrewsbury completed a new high school in 2002, spending $62 million for a high school that holds about 1,600 students.

One factor, officials say, has been the explosive cost escalation of building materials over the past several years, driven by international demand from the growing economies of China and India. Critics of the project also point to the choice of a design team led by architect Graham Gund of Cambridge .

Still others trace the origins of the price tag to the Newton School Committee, which began replacing the leaky, dark, 34-year-old Newton North building several years ago by compiling a wish list of programs and components the new school would contain. After the city decided that renovating the building would not be cost-effective, the S chool C ommittee recommended that the new building contain virtually all the favorite programs and features of the old one.

"This is one of the most comprehensive projects that we've ever seen," said Katherine Craven, executive director of the Massachusetts School Building Authority , which is subsidizing the Newton North project with a $46.5 million grant and a $15 million low-interest loan. "I don't think there is any other district that is looking to do what Newton is going to do."

One of the more costly elements the School Committee voted to preserve was "Main Street," the long corridor that runs the length of the current school. The city's architects, the Gund Partnership of Cambridge, came up with what was essentially one long building.

Critics say a campus-style project with separate buildings would have been cheaper to construct. School officials counter that the Main Street element creates a gathering place for students, faculty, and staff, and helps build a sense of community.

To fit the school on the site, though, the Gund designers had to fold the building like an accordion. Gund used irregular angles, a popular feature of fashion-forward buildings such as MIT's Stata Center. But the design is also expected to drive up construction costs, since most generic construction techniques and materials are designed around the use of 90-degree angles.

"The design of that building isn't your basic cookie-cutter, square building," Craven said. "That is definitely going to cost them some extra money."

Some critics have said that the city's choice of architects was, in itself, an expensive decision.

Gund is creating an educational showplace, but the city is paying for it, to the tune of $7 million in design fees. Added to other so-called "soft costs" such as the project managers fee, moving expenses, furniture, equipment, temporary athletic team transportation, building start-up costs, and contingency reserves, the city will spend $15.7 million on the project without the swing of a hammer.

Critics have also said that Gund, who is used to creating signature buildings with flexible budgets, paid little attention to cost.

"The reason why this high school costs so much is because of the choices that went into its design," said Alderman Ken Parker, who has argued for a simpler, less expensive plan. "I would rather put money into functionality rather than aesthetics. How many people can even say whether the high school they attended had a flat roof or sloped one? We should be focusing on the quality of the programs inside the building instead of the frills on the outside."

Representatives at Gund did not reply to an inquiry from the Globe and in the past have referred questions about the project to Jeremy Solomon, Cohen's spokesman.

The current design reconfigures virtually the entire site, moving around playing fields, buildings, parking lots, and other features. Site preparation alone is expected to cost $12.3 million, with $3 million going toward demolition of the school, the football stadium, and other features, according to estimates given to the city's design advisers . The reseeding for the campus' s lawns is expected to cost another $937,000.

The theater is envisioned as another showpiece of the school, but second-level seating and carpeting add more than $300,000. Planning documents reviewed by the Globe do not include an overall cost estimate for the theater, but the draperies, equipment, and a wooden acoustical ceiling are expected to cost nearly $900,000.

Cohen has defended the inclusion of various programs in the school, saying they serve a dual purpose or will end up saving money in the long run.

As an example, the mayor said, while the vocational education space will cost $10 million to build, it will eventually pay for itself by saving the city the $2 million in tuition it would cost to send Newton students to a regional vocational school. And Newton North's pool has always served as the city's indoor municipal pool, and its classrooms are used frequently for adult education.

"This is going to be a first-rate educational institution, and it is a plan that works," he said.

Ralph Ranalli can be reached at ranalli@globe.com.