The school district will work with builder S.M. Wilson & Co. of St. Louis to complete the project. Preparations for construction have already begun, with initial efforts focused on creating temporary classrooms within the existing building; installing outdoor classrooms that will primarily be dedicated to science programming; establishing construction staging areas; reconfiguring parking and traffic flow; and beginning abatement and the demolition process of the portion of the backside of the building that will be rebuilt, according to a statement by S.M. Wilson & Co.

Upon completion, the high school will feature classrooms designed to accommodate modern educational best practices, which require spaces conducive to collaboration across disciplines; small group work; the integrated use of science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM); and the opportunity for students to apply their knowledge in real-world applications and group-based projects. Other features will include a three-story commons area at the apex of corridors leading to various academic areas; seminar and breakout areas mixed in with classrooms, enabling small group work; a lecture area large enough to enable speakers to address multiple classes simultaneously; and spaces to exhibit student work.

S. M. Wilson provided pre-referendum informational services to the Ladue School District, and will provide pre-construction and construction management services as well. Locally based Hastings+Chivetta and Bond Architects together comprise the project’s architectural firms team, and also began work on the project well before the initiative was approved this spring.

Funding for the project will come from an $85.1 million bond referendum passed in April by the district’s voters. The remaining funds will cover HVAC, technology and safety upgrades at other district schools.
 

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Working with a small site forced the design team to be particularly creative in developing and maximizing a functional program. “It’s a very dynamic design, in which many functions are incorporated,” said Urbahn Architect’s principal Marty Stein, AIA, in a statement. Stein originally spearheaded the design of the original BelovED K-5 school and its recent addition, and is now leading the design of the middle school.

Upon completion, the new middle school will offer 15 general classrooms, four half-classrooms, two science rooms, two art rooms and a music room. A cafetorium — a combination cafeteria and auditorium space — with a warming kitchen, a gymnasium with a mezzanine, a media center/library, administrative offices, and a large sub-dividable multipurpose room to be used for events and testing will also be included. In addition, the school will include a 31-space parking lot and outdoor assembly and recreation space.

The site is located within a FEMA-designated flood zone, which added another level of complexity to the project. As such, Urbahn Architects Associate and Project Manager Emmanuel Perez, AIA, LEED AP, said in a statement that the design team is specifying all programmed space and critical systems on the second through fourth floors. “The ground level is dedicated to parking, building access and recreation. The upper floors are structurally cantilevered above the parking lot,” he added.

Due to the low-bearing soil at the site, the foundation system will consist of subterranean concrete piles and pile caps, which will support the new school’s structural steel frame, according to a statement by Urbahn Architects.

Friends of the BelovED Charter School, a non-profit organization established to support the development of BeloveED Community Charter School and other charter schools, is the project’s developer. The organization is expected to obtain a mortgage and construction financing of $12 million from New Jersey Community Capital, according to Bret Schundler, a former mayor of Jersey City and former commissioner of education for the State of New Jersey.

Schundler assisted the local community in establishing the original BelovED Community Charter School, which opened in 2012 across the street from the new middle school site. He currently serves as chairman of the BelovED Community Charter School Foundation. BelovED, which currently serves 720 students, is named in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision of the “Beloved Community.”
 

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A bond implementation steering committee will head the planning process and will take recommendations from five advisory committees made up of the aforementioned stakeholders. The committees were formed following the passage of two construction bonds issues, which were passed in November, reported MLive.

Proposal I for $128 million was approved by 64 percent of voters. It included construction of new North and Central Middle Schools, remodeling of West Middle School, new swimming pools at Northern and Central High Schools, 30 new school buses and instructional technology for all schools. Proposal II provided $16 million to build a new stadium at each high school, and passed with a 56 percent majority. The committees will make recommendations on campus plans, the middle schools, Curious Kids-Community High School, pools and the stadiums.

In a board meeting on Jan. 11, Portage Public Schools Superintendent Mark Bielang outlined a plan that includes bonds sales in early May and construction bids taking place in November or December, reported MLive. Bielang said that the key part of the plan will be determining where buildings and facilities will be located at each of the high schools and that he hopes the plan can be ready in March. Once the plan is completed, the committees will present it to the board for a recommendation of approval.

In the more immediate future, the board will be asked to take a vote to approve one of three construction managers for the projects at its next meeting on Jan. 25. In December, the board hired architects c2ae and Stantec to design the buildings and facilities. Both architecture firms have offices in Lansing, Mich.
 

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The project team includes Watertown, Mass.-based Joslin, Lesser + Associates (an NV5 Company), serving as the owner’s representative, and architect DiNisco Design Partnership of Boston. Locally based W.T. Rich Company served as the project’s construction manager. Angier Elementary School’s educational program and concept design will become a model for planned upgrades to all of the Newton elementary school facilities, according to the Joslin, Lesser + Associates website.

The original Angier Elementary School was, prior to construction of the new facility, the oldest school building in the community. It was originally constructed in 1919 and spanned 40,000 square feet. A more than 10,000-square-foot addition was completed in the mid 1930s. However, it was determined during the current project’s preliminary design program that the existing school footprint was 50 percent smaller than the required program area, according to the DiNisco Design Partnership website. Renovating or expanding the existing structure was deemed impractical, costly and ineffective in meeting modern educational program requirements.

Today, the new Angier Elementary School boasts floor-to-ceiling windows, classrooms equipped with new technology and dedicated areas for breakout instruction and special activities. Where students once had to meet with specialists in converted storage spaces, they now have proper offices and spaces for collaboration and specialized instruction. Color-coded floors assist in wayfinding. The new building is situated around an open plaza that serves as both an outdoor classroom and a gathering space. For security purposes, administrative spaces are located near the entrance (through which visitors must be buzzed in), with kindergarten, first and second grade classrooms on the second level. Upper grades are located on the third level.

Designed to achieve LEED Silver certification, the building includes energy-efficient windows and ample insulation as well as motion censor lighting that also adjusts to daylighting conditions. Outside, the school offers plenty of green space and two playgrounds for different age groups.

While time and budget didn’t present any significant barriers to the project, the slim 1.9-acre site did require the team to raise the grade level of a wedge of land to the rear of the property, which sloped steeply down to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority tracks. This aspect of the project also required the construction of a new retaining wall. Additional site, traffic and parking improvements required Angier Elementary School students to be temporarily relocated to Carr School for the duration of the construction project.

The project was funded partially the Massachusetts School Building Authority and partially by a voter-approved tax increase. It was completed within the anticipated budget and timeframe, however owner training and commissioning of the systems is ongoing, according to an update published by the project team. Playground equipment installation will continue through the end of the month and minor work, such as the installation of metal panels, will continue into February.

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Because unexpected tragedies happen globally every year, it’s important for schools — from elementary schools to universities — to take steps to prepare their campus infrastructure. For example, Typhoon Haiyan damaged more than 2,500 schools and affected 1.4 million children in the Philippines in 2013, according to the World Bank. Additionally, recent floods in Malawi affected hundreds of schools, disrupting the education of more than 350,000 children. What is clear from these statistics is that schools are vulnerable.

There are several different ways to look at resilience, according to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). However, a common element among definitions is the idea that recovery in a changing environment requires the capacity to withstand, absorb and adapt to shocks. For schools in various parts of the country, becoming better able to withstand disasters and adapt to shocks means being proactive to prepare infrastructure, now.

With that in mind, here are three ways to make K-12 and university buildings more resilient to natural disasters:

1. Identify Vulnerabilities

The Organization for American States (OAS) suggests that assessing risks and hazards is an important first step in improving school resilience. Less vulnerable structures mean protected investments, longer building lifespans and greater safety for students and teachers. Through the collection of basic structural and physical information of all structures, including details of location, and the analysis of data with regard to the ability to resist the effect of specific natural and manmade hazards, school officials can at least gain an idea of what risks and hazards exist. Consider what types of natural disasters are possible in your geographic area, and how the school’s structures would withstand those disasters if they occurred. The answers to these questions provide a valuable starting point in improving school preparedness.

2. Strengthen and Protect Buildings

Once you’ve assessed the most vulnerable areas of your structures, you have a good idea of what needs to change. Prioritize tasks based on what is most important to your school. Does the building where students spend the most time have glaring structural issues that would make it vulnerable to storm damage? Start there. Use funds to invest in projects that will add security and stability to your school. You may also wish to work with a disaster restoration contractor that can professionally evaluate your structures and offer solutions.

3. Understand Safe Construction

Along with increasing safety and security, the first two steps offer the added benefit of informing future building projects. Once you’ve seen where safety concerns exist in your current structures, it’s clearer how you can avoid those issues in new buildings. “Understanding what factors are driving unsafe construction practices will enable decision-makers to make targeted adjustments to planned investments to ensure the quality of new construction and avoid the creation of new risk, according to the World Bank. Likewise, understanding what vulnerabilities you’re facing may also warrant building emergency shelters of some kind.

As Vice President of Operations for DKI Commercial Solutions, Bill Robinson oversees disaster relief operations for commercial large loss in the U.S. DKI Services is a remediation and restoration company that offers emergency restoration services for residential and commercial buildings.

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Albuquerque-based VHGA worked closely with all stakeholders — including the school faculty and the families of students who will attend the new 50,120-square-foot school — in its plan and design. Currently, the school is slated for completion in February 2017.

“It has been a privilege to work with all of the stakeholders on the design of the new school at the Santo Domingo Pueblo,” added Van H. Gilbert, FAIA, of VHGA in a statement. “The collaborative effort has produced a design that provides an effective, contemporary learning environment and, at the same time, supports the cultural education of the Pueblo students.”

When complete, the facility will include both old and new elements. It is being built on land adjacent to the existing structure and incorporates a 2005 addition, while the rest of the classroom building is scheduled for demolition, according to a statement by VHGA. Designed in the Pueblo-style and organized around an open courtyard, the school’s architecture will integrate Pueblo stories, culture, sacred views and the village design details important to the community.

“The four-sided building design accommodates a complex spatial program that includes K-5 and middle school classrooms, special classrooms for teaching the Keres language and culture, science and computer labs, rooms for art and music, a library, multipurpose cafeteria, kitchen and administrative offices,” said Alisa Giron, AIA, project architect with VHGA, in a statement. “In addition, the courtyard can be used for outdoor learning and for informal student gatherings.”

The new school will improve greatly on the existing facility, which was constructed in 1957 and had undergone some modernization work over the years. In 2012, the school qualified for Public Schools Capital Outlay Council funding to support the building of a replacement facility to serve 350 students. At that time the district contracted with Architectural Research Consultants Inc. of Albuquerque to develop education specifications and recommend the best plan of action.

ARC worked with tribal elders as well as the larger community to develop a plan that would “comply with the Pueblo’s wish to prepare children for success in a tri-cultural world, and help preserve the native culture and language,” according to the company’s website. For example, the school will offer native language programs and instruction on food, sustainable practices, and life skills that combine native and modern experiences.

ARC also noted that the district would benefit from boosting enrollment projections to 375 students and increasing the design capacity accordingly. The firm proposed four options: Build a new school; build a new school to accommodate higher enrollment; petition for additional base square footage, keep the gym and 2005 classroom wing, and include new construction; and keep the existing west wing and include new construction. The committee preferred the option to request additional space while still preserving part of the existing school.

The Bernalillo Public School District and Board of Education awarded a construction contract for the project to HB Construction of Albuquerque in October. The company has already begun site clearing and grading and will begin concrete work soon.

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However, the school recently celebrated the first anniversary of its new Christian L. Siebert Park. The school’s new home field reopened in fall 2014 after a $4.7 million facelift ,which included a new artificial turf field, home stadium seating stretching nearly the entire length of the field, an indoor team room, public restrooms and a field house able to accommodate two football teams. New tennis courts, a six-lane track and a softball field also rounded out the overhaul.

“This was an extremely exciting and important project that took nearly three years for Camp Hill to put together,” said Bob Royer of Lemoyne, Pa.-based KS Heagy Contractors Inc., the project’s builder. “This was a much-needed and significant expenditure for a community with a great sense of pride and deep loyalty to its high school sports teams.”

Royer also noted that every dollar had to be maximized. “The specification process had to ensure not only the best value, but also the long-lasting durability of all the products,” he added. “No one expects to go another 75 years before an upgrade, although a decade or two would really help the local budget.”

One of the most significant morale-boosting upgrades to the athletic programs was to the facility’s locker and meeting rooms. Scranton Products, a Scranton, Pa.-based manufacturer of partitions and lockers made with high-density polyethylene (HDPE), supplied all-new bathroom partitions, lockers and athletic storage cubbies. The company worked directly with the project’s contractors and architects to produce the customized, low-maintenance athletic cubbies for the facility’s home and visiting team locker rooms.

In addition, the company also supplied partitions for several of the new restrooms as well as lockers for referee changing rooms. Given the high-impact requirements of the application, the school opted for the non-porous, HDPE surface Hiny Hiders partitions, which are naturally resistant to odors, mold and mildew.

Careful material selection also helped decrease certain health risks, as the HDPE partitions and lockers are resistant to certain strains of bacteria. Gym lockers tend to be dark, moist environments and can serve as an ideal breeding ground for staph infections and new strains of MRSA, a drug-resistant bacterium that typically causes skin infections. The Greenguard Gold-certified Tufftec gym lockers were independently tested, and results showed that, after 24 hours, 98.4 percent of the MRSA bacterial died off the surface of HDPE plastic without the use of any cleaning solutions, according to David Casal, national director of sales and marketing for the Scranton Products.
 

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“Today marks yet another milestone in the construction of this new school and brings Paterson’s students one step closer to the educational spaces they need to realize their academic potential,” said New Jersey Schools Development Authority CEO Charles B. McKenna in a statement.

The new P.S. 16 is designed to educate approximately 700 pre-kindergarten through eighth grade students. It will include 22 general use classrooms, four pre-kindergarten classrooms, three kindergarten classrooms, specialized instruction classrooms and labs, a media center, a gymnasium and a combination cafeteria/auditorium space.

Hall Construction Company Inc. of Howell, N.J., was awarded a $34.9 million contract for design and construction of the new school, which is being built using a design-build approach. Hall is also working with DIGroup Architecture of New Brunswick, N.J., on the design. Greyhawk North America LLC, headquartered in Mount Laurel, N.J., is the construction manager for the project.

The school is anticipated for student occupancy in September 2016.

In addition to work on P.S. 16, the SDA is also constructing the new 108,700-square-foot Marshall Street Elementary School on the corner of Hazel and Marshall in Paterson. Marshall Street Elementary is designed to accommodate approximately 650 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Upon completion, the school will house 23 general classrooms, four kindergarten classrooms, specialized instruction classrooms and labs, a media center, gymnasium, similar cafeteria/auditorium space and a community room.

“The construction of two new elementary schools — School 16 as well as Hazel & Marshall — is great news for our school district and this city,” said State District Superintendent Donnie Evans, Ed.D, in a statement. “Our students deserve to receive a quality education in facilities that meet 21st century learning standards; and we thank the SDA for honoring their commitment to open both schools for the 2016 school year. We also look forward to continued collaboration with the SDA on meeting additional facilities needs as represented in our new five-year facilities plan.”

In recent years, the SDA has invested nearly $290 million in completed projects in Paterson alone including six capital projects and 56 health and safety/grant/emergent projects, according to a statement. The SDA’s current portfolio of active projects is valued at approximately $2 billion — including the Capital Project Portfolio, emergent projects and Regular Operating District grants.

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Prior to construction, students were shifted to the former Kalamazoo Christian Middle School building, allowing for reconstruction to take place on the original Washington Writers’ Academy site. At 73,700 square feet, the magnet school is more than 27 percent larger than the original. It will serve approximately 380 K-5 students in Kalamazoo’s Washington-Edison neighborhood, well within its 500-student capacity.

"It’s very exciting to rebuild a school that was (more than 90 years old) and on a site that had a school on it for more than a century," Superintendent of Kalamazoo Public Schools Michael Rice told Michigan Live on Jan. 4. "The board (of education) felt the best place for the new school was the Edison neighborhood, and we’re delighted to be able to contribute to the renaissance of the neighborhood."

The two-story school includes two long, narrow wings joined by a glass-filled main entryway. The façade is similar to that of the original school, featuring brown and red brick and a classic design that blends well with the historic neighborhood.

No stranger to change, the original Washington Writers’ Academy underwent three different renovations throughout its history. School officials first considered a fourth renovation to bring the school up to modern code and educational standards. However, renovation costs were projected to run $1.4 million higher than simply demolishing the school and rebuilding onsite. The school’s gymnasium, which was completed in 2003, is the only existing structure remaining on the campus.

Students, school officials and construction and design team members broke ground for the new school in June 2013. Construction followed shortly after and was funded by a $62 million voter-approved bond initiative passed in May 2010. That initiative supported a variety of renovations and technology upgrade projects in schools throughout the community, and dedicated $10.7 million to the construction of Washington Writers’ Academy. The bond also allowed the Kalamazoo Public Schools Board of Education to purchase a 3-acre lot adjacent to the academy to provide additional playground space for students.

TowerPinkster Architects Engineers of Kalamazoo designed the new Washington Writers’ Academy and offers a virtual tour of the school on their website. The firm has a long history with the school district and contributed to 55 projects for Kalamazoo Public Schools at nine different locations in 2014. CSM Group, also of Kalamazoo, served as the project’s construction manager.

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