CLEVELAND— The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) recently awarded LEED Gold certification to Cleveland State University’s Washkewicz Hall, home to the College of Engineering.

Completed in 2017, Washkewicz Hall is the sixth building on CSU’s campus to receive LEED certification.

“Washkewicz Hall’s LEED certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO, USGBC. “LEED was created to make the world a better place and revolutionize our buildings and communities by providing everyone with access to healthy, green and high performing buildings. Cleveland State’s most recent certification is a prime example of how the innovative work of project teams can create local solutions that contribute to making a global difference.”

Sustainable features of Washkewicz Hall include the following:

• Site utilization that optimizes green space to reduce stormwater runoff;
• Low-flow toilets and faucets that reduce water consumption by 30 percent;
• Energy-efficient mechanical systems;
• 70 percent of electricity from renewable sources;
• 25 percent recycled steel in building materials;
• Light-colored roof material to reflect heat and maintain a cooler temperature within the building;
• Materials, paints, flooring and wall materials contain no- or low-VOCs for improved indoor air quality.

CBLH and Harley Ellis Devereaux (HED) led design and engineering on this approximately $46 million project. Gilbane was the construction manager at risk.

“[Throughout construction, we] used the building as a learning tool, involving students a faculty with regular tours and monthly bulletins about what work was transpiring,” explained Travis Okel, project manager, Gilbane Building Company.

“The team set out with the goal of achieving LEED Gold certification, so knowing that the process of design and construction reached that ambitious target is very exciting,” said Jennifer McMillin, CSU director of sustainability, in a press release.

“As an institution of higher education, CSU has an opportunity to educate students about environmental sustainability both in the classroom and in the campus environment. Designing and operating green buildings is one of our opportunities to demonstrate our commitment to energy and water conservation.”

Other LEED certified buildings at CSU include Julka Hall (LEED Gold), Center for Innovation in Medical Professions (LEED Silver), Euclid Commons (LEED Silver), the CSU Student Center (LEED Silver) and the CSU Recreation Center (LEED Certified).

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GRANVILLE, Ohio—Denison University, a liberal arts university in central Ohio, is undergoing construction this year on a mega-project that involves a new student apartment building, updating its dormitories, building a new student wellness center, and more.

The Business Journal reported in January that, according to the university, the projects include a more than $25 million student apartment building, an approximately $16 million renovation of half of its existing dormitories, and a new approximately $10 million student wellness center. Information about the architect firm and general contractor to be involved has not yet been disclosed.

Work this summer will be on Crawford, Shorney, Smith, Curtis and Myers halls, with King Hall scheduled for 2020-21 construction for a fall 2021 opening.

The new Student Wellness Center is currently in the design phase.

“We’re thinking about putting it on the steep area across from our parking garage,” said Art Chonko, Denison University director of facilities services.

When completed, the new center will offer counseling, wellness and opportunities for training and student wellness activities, he said.

Denison University Spokeswoman Ginny Sharkey told the Business Journal that the investments “are about ensuring our campus is a safe, comfortable environment for learning, living and working.”

These projects could help Denison’s 2,300 students navigate an increasingly competitive higher education environment, in which it has become more critical for colleges to take proactive measures to attract students.

The Newark Advocate reported that another major piece of construction being contemplated is a new central heating plant on campus. If that happens, the new plant would replace the one currently in use in the building located across the street from Ross’ Granville Market on South Main Street. The cost of this project has not yet been disclosed.

Chonko noted that heat generated from that plant is currently, and rather inefficiently, pushed through old pipes running under Mulberry Street up to the university. If plans go forward, the new plant “would move to a bowl near the Mitchell Center,” so it would be inside the campus and not in view from Pearl Street or elsewhere.

“It would be in area of parking lot behind the Mitchell Center…buried in the hill,” said Chonko.

Additionally, the university has identified safety concerns related to the street running along the west side of the center and connecting West Broadway and West College Street. Currently, on-street parking along the connector results in line-of-sight issues tied to a crosswalk there.

“We have some cars going through there pretty fast now,” he said. “The crosswalk has some people stepping out from a behind a (parked) car,” to see if it’s clear to cross.”

Mayor Melissa Hartfield expressed some reservations about any plans that might significantly reduce parking in that area, but also made it clear, there is no desire “to sacrifice safety for parking.”

In a statement, Chonko said that Denison’s slate of projects are being funded by a combination of sources, including bond issuances, a university campaign called Unlocking Potential: Investing in Denison, and “generous alumni support.” The campaign, so far, has raised $207.4 million of its $225 million goal.

The university’s major focus is concentrated on updating all of its student housing over the next several years.

Overall, he added, “It’s going to be a busy year.”

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NEW BREMEN, Ohio—Construction is underway at a new elementary school for New Bremen Local Schools in New Bremen, Ohio.

Officials from New Bremen Local School District, Gilbane Building Company, Garmann/Miller & Associates, Ohio Facilities Construction Commission and students celebrated the official groundbreaking for the new elementary facility earlier this year that will provide a modern learning environment for students in grades K-6.

Gilbane Building Company is serving as construction manager for the new 71,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art elementary facility. Connected to the existing high school, all classrooms will be grouped by grade level with extended learning center spaces outside of the traditional classrooms. Special education rooms will be spaced throughout the academic areas. Natural daylight will be a primary emphasis in each of the K-6 classrooms,

“Gilbane is extremely excited to be a part of the New Bremen School project team,” said Matt Neimeyer, Gilbane Building Company project manager.

“However, our team members are especially excited. We have three team members that live in the district or in a neighboring district. And, let me tell you, in construction, that does not happen often. Our team has a vested interest in the success of the project and will remain in the community for years to come and are excited to build in the community we live in! We look forward to getting this project started and continuing our engagement with the district and in the community.”

The addition and renovations to the new elementary school will provide a modern learning environment. The student dining area will be used as a multi-purpose space with a sports floor. The media center, computer lab, art and music rooms surround the interior courtyard, which will be used as a safe outdoor learning space.

The project also includes additional renovations to the existing high school, parking lot repairs and abatement/demolition of the existing elementary school. Exterior materials will include a masonry veneer and standing seam metal room to complement the existing high school.

The completion date is slated for August 2020.

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NORTH ROYALTON, Ohio—In a recent “guaranteed-maximum price” agreement, it has been confirmed that the North Royalton School District will pay Hammond Construction Inc. of Canton, Ohio, no more than $35 million to manage construction of a new elementary school. The school will be located at the southwest corner of State Road and Valley Parkway in North Royalton, a suburb of Cleveland.

Under the GMP agreement, if the final project cost exceeds this $35 million figure, Hammond will be responsible for the overage, unless the district decides to expand the scope of work. In that event, the expanded cost would be the responsibility of the school district.

Conversely, if the project costs less than the $35 million. the savings would return to the district.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new elementary school—which will span approximately 147,000 square feet—was held August 30 at the construction site.

Tree clearing and sitework started in March, while construction of footers, steel beams and columns is expected to begin shortly.

“We are pleased with where the (GMP) numbers came in,” said Schools Superintendent Greg Gurka.

“We are all aware that costs have escalated in school construction since our bond issue was passed [in May 2017]. This can be seen in districts all around us. However, this elementary (school) GMP will allow us to continue to stay on budget and on schedule.”

The new school will replace Albion, Royal View and Valley Vista elementary schools. It is part of an overall district reconstruction and renovation project, which also involves a building addition and renovation at North Royalton High School, and a renovation of North Royalton Middle School.

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STEWART, Ohio—Federal Hocking Local Schools recently installed 1,968 solar panels to the roof of the Federal Hocking Middle and High School campus in Stewart.

The project—which is expected to cover 70 percent of the building’s energy needs during the year—has been promoted as a way to teach students about the renewable energy industry.

“Solar and renewable energy are the way of the future,” said Federal Hocking Superintendent George Wood. “But getting from here to there will take big actions by big organizations and institutions, like schools. Our district is a demonstration of what other districts can do.”

He said an outside company would own the plant and the school district would “buy energy from them at a reduced cost.”

The array was built and installed by a partnership consisting of the installer Third Sun Solar; New Resource Solutions, that structured the financing and Foundation Renewable Energy Company; and the system owner and operator.

“Third Sun Solar has installed solar on more than 70 schools, but this project is really exciting because it is right here in our community,” said Geoff Greenfield, Third Sun Solar president and co-founder.

“While the financial benefits to the school are very attractive, we believe that the benefits to our local economy—like the growing number of solar jobs—are also very important.”

The school district also invested $400,000 from its reserve account to reduce the cost of the electricity it would be purchasing and to “speed up the buy-back option on the plant,” added Wood.

“We will see reduced annual costs, accelerate our path to ownership and have more money for annual expenses.”

During the launch of this project in July, Wood urged other schools to take the same route.

“You’re generating cheap, clean energy. You’re getting an educational benefit from kids and you’re being a good steward of public resources. Seems to me it’s a win-win solution for everyone.”

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HILLSBORO, Ohio—Hillsboro City Schools has contracted with Woolpert to provide full design services for its $6 million high school auditorium at Hillsboro High School, located approximately 60 miles east of Cincinnati.

The new 23,000-square-foot auditorium will seat 800 and include flexible space for changing rooms and/or locker rooms. The school has an enrollment of approximately 750 students.

Woolpert—a firm with numerous locations across the U.S. that offers architecture, engineering and geospatial (AEG) services—is the architect on this project.

Woolpert Project Manager Todd Ford—who is also a 2002 Hillsboro graduate—said the design of the auditorium will mesh with the existing school and include technology and amenities specific to the school’s needs.

“There will be a 40-inch-high stage, which creates optimal viewing from all seats, LED lighting and acoustical design to ensure those on stage are properly seen and heard by the crowd. Hillsboro will be one of the few schools in the area that can hold its entire school population in its auditorium, and we want to ensure they are served appropriately and effectively.”

The main entrance for the auditorium will be through the high school building, which will support safety and security for students and staff. The parking lot will be reconfigured to allow for this school expansion, but retain the same amount of parking spaces.

Woolpert has performed a facility master plan, and Ford has performed multiple design projects at the high school.

He said Woolpert’s acquisition of Waller, Todd & Sadler Architects this past January has deepened and broadened Woolpert’s educational design capabilities.

“Waller, Todd & Sadler’s experience with K-12 and higher education facilities is nationally known and highly respected. They know the ins and outs of high school auditoriums from ideal row breaks to ADA requirements to subsurface drainage to the pros and cons of orchestra pits. Their expertise is invaluable and will be well utilized for this and future projects.”

The general contractor for this project will be secured in early September. Construction is scheduled to begin this fall with a completion date slated for fall 2020.

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GAMBIER, Ohio—Three buildings designed by GUND Partnership have broken ground at Kenyon College. The new West Quad buildings include a new library, an interdisciplinary academic building and an admissions building with financial aid center for student recruitment. Construction for all buildings will be complete in 2021.

A new highly flexible state-of-the-art library will support active and collaborative learning. It will feature a variety of environments to encourage student growth, curiosity and exploration. Special Collections will be prominently exhibited at the building’s entry and a teaching lab will create more opportunity to integrate the unique collections into course work. Academic Advising, Career Development, the Registrar and Student Accessibility Services will move to the library as an integrated hub connecting work inside the classroom with work outside of it. To encourage innovation, two sandbox spaces, one for technology and one for teaching, will provide students and faculty needed space to explore transformative technology and teaching practices. The Office of Institutional Research will be located in the library, capitalizing on the College’s commitment to assessing the inputs and outcomes of a Kenyon education.

With a focus on accessibility and openness, the new academic building will facilitate cross-pollination of ideas across and beyond the social science disciplines and will contain the anthropology collections and lab. The building features open commons on each floor, flexible classroom spaces adaptable to continuing changes in pedagogy, classroom sizes of 16-40 students, collaborative workspaces, and a 300-seat auditorium.

A new home for admissions and financial aid will bring together the offices, which currently operate in two separate buildings. Campus tours will depart from a new terrace anchoring the north end of the West Quad and will bring prospective students into the academic core. Multi-purpose spaces inside the building will allow greater flexibility in supporting and celebrating the campus community. All three buildings are pursuing LEED Certification with the library designed to achieve LEED Gold. Together, these individual projects strengthen the fabric of the entire campus and retain the distinctive identity that Kenyon has developed over its 195-year history.

These projects join two recently completed buildings for Kenyon’s renowned English department, also designed by GUND. Each provides modern office and academic spaces important in the continued recruitment of great talent to one of Kenyon’s most popular majors. The new West Quad will further Kenyon’s impact on student success, from the time a prospective student steps on campus to the time they celebrate commencement, positioning them to define and achieve their post-graduate goals.

GUND Partnership works across the country with leading academic and cultural institutions to explore the power and potential of the built environment.

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In addition to the adaptable theater, the Eric Baker NordPerforming Arts Annex also boasts a new lobby and event space, rehearsal space, dressing rooms, and scene and costume shops shared by both stage houses, as well as classrooms, labs, and studios for acting and the arts. The theater completes yet another phase of DLR Group|WRL’s Green Arts District Master Plan for Oberlin; other projects completed by the firm as part of the master plan include the newly LEED Platinum-Certified Birenbaum Innovation and PerformanceCenter, the award-winning Film Studies facility in the original Apollo Theatre, and the renovation study for the Hall Auditorium.

DLR Group|WRL’s new theater design offers a contemporary addition to the original 1956 modern landmark. Addressing the auditorium’s current limitations in size and accessibility, our design brings the complex up to contemporary standards while maintaining the modernist structure and establishing continuity between new and old venues.

Experts in DLR Group|WRL’s in-house comprehensive theater specialties group, the Innovative Technology Design Group (ITDG), provided planning and design to bring modernized acoustic, audiovisual (A/V), and theater technical elements to the new adaptable Irene and Alan Wurtzel Theater. Working in tandem with the architectural and engineering teams, ITDG designers detailed new technology solutions to complement the facility’s existing technology and replace aging systems.

Acoustic work included mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) noise and vibration control design, sound isolation design to allow the adaptable theater to operate simultaneously with the existing Hall Auditorium, and room acoustic design to promote voice projection, speech clarity, and audio system fidelity in the adaptable theater as well as the rehearsal space.

Enhanced A/V elements include distributed audio systems, video distribution capabilities, production intercom systems, performance audio systems that are flexible and portable for various configurations, and video projection systems.

Theater technical design for the adaptable theater include a comprehensive integrated lighting control system that allows for operation of venue lighting through wall stations or lighting consoles, distributed power and data connections for performance lighting, new inventory of performance lighting fixtures, house and stage masking drapery, portable modular seating riser system with integrated step lighting to allow for multiple seating configurations, and a catwalk system with supplementary rigging pipes for hanging lighting, drapery, scenery, audio, and other production needs.

Central to the theater is its adaptable design, which provides new performance opportunities for faculty and students by expanding the types of productions the college’s theater, dance, and opera departments can offer. Before the Performing Arts Annex, the college’s theater and dance departments would have to host their 15-18 yearly performances in either the 550-seat HallAuditorium or the Little Theatre, which has an 80-seat audience capacity.

The theater addition to the Eric Baker Nord Performing Arts Annex offers the campus and the greater Northeast Ohio area with a flexible, medium-sized venue where performers can experiment with new types of productions and students can explore modern curriculum. Thanks to its adaptable design, seating in the multi-form theater can be reconfigured to around the stage rather than directly in front of it, shifting the dynamic, approach, and sightlines between the audience and the performers.

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URBANA, Ohio — Urbana City Schools recently opened the doors to its new elementary and junior high school for new and returning students.

The new Urbana Elementary and Junior High School will serve about 1,500 students from preschool through eighth grade.

According to the Springfield News-Sun, the $37 million project was approved by taxpayers in November 2014. It is reportedly the second building the district has opened in a year; a new high school building was opened in April.

“It’s been a great start to the first day in our new school,” said Superintendent of Urbana City Schools Charles Thiel to the News-Sun. “As I stood out front helping to direct traffic I realized the number of kids and families and adults are all a part of the programs of our schools. We were spread out throughout the city, but when you combined them into one building there is a lot of people that are using our resources and being part of the school program.”

The News-Sun reports that the district pushed back the start date so the building could be finished before the start of school. Students can now reportedly look forward to air conditioning, a large entrance and lobby area, and learning pods divided by grade level.

According to the News-Sun, the district considers the learning pods to be a significant advancement in the building’s design after previously having three buildings that served different grades.

A single pod consists of a cluster of classrooms that support 21st-century teaching trends, a collaboration area, a teacher lounge, a private study area, and locker space for students. All teachers in each grade level have classrooms designated in a particular pod which will allows them to work more closely together.

The school also reportedly has updated security features and has a large cafeteria that can be divided based on the age of students. There is a new gymnasium that is large enough for a regulation-size high school basketball court and new playground equipment that was designed with the help of student council.

An official ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony for the new school will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 7.

Reports from the Springfield News-Sun contributed to this story.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — GOP lawmakers proposed a new bill that would allow Ohio schools to disclose to parents if their child exhibits signs of being transgender.

Republican Reps. Tom Brinkman and Paul Zeltwanger introduced House Bill 658 on May 15, which would require teachers to immediately notify parents if they observe any signs of “gender dysphoria” in their students.

The legislation states in its text that “if a government agent or entity has knowledge that a child under its care or supervision has exhibited symptoms of gender dysphoria or otherwise demonstrates a desire to be treated in a manner opposite of the child’s biological sex, the government agent or entity with knowledge of that circumstance shall immediately notify, in writing, each of the child’s parents and the child’s guardian or custodian. The notice shall describe the total circumstances with reasonable specificity.”

Furthermore, the child can be placed into treatment with the parents’ written consent, which would provide educational material, counseling and/or medical services. Teachers would be charged with a fourth-degree felony if they attempted to provide students with sex and gender counseling resources without the parents’ permission.

The measure also defends parents or guardians who decide not to allow treatment by prohibiting that the decision be used against them in custody cases or abuse and neglect complaints. Rep. Brinkman stated that a child’s struggles with mental health surrounding gender dysphoria should be “a consideration that parents make,” but should not be reason for parents to lose their right to decide what they want for their child.

The bill was prompted by a recent Cincinnati case in which a Hamilton County court hearing granted custody of a transgender teen to his grandparents after the teen’s parents attempted to terminate his hormone therapy. In the case, the teen filed a complaint stating that he had contacted a crisis hotline to report that his parents had told him to kill himself and refused to let him get therapy “unless it was Christian-based.”

Brinkman, however, was opposed to this decision, arguing that parents have the right to decide what is best for their children, according to a report from a CNN affiliate, WCPO.

Critics say that the bill discriminates against transgender youth and lays ground for further discrimination, with the Ohio Education Association and LGBT rights group Equality Ohio strongly opposing the legislation. The groups believe that it puts the livelihood of transgender youth at risk, arguing that it would enable bullying and intolerance through the “outing” of students.

“Who is the judge of which gender is allowed to do what? If Jane signs up for shop class, will her parents receive a government letter?” Equality Ohio said in a statement. “If Jordan doesn’t want to play football, do his parents get a letter? What if Alex wants to attend a meeting of the student LGBTQ group — does the school email that to Alex’s parents?”

The conversation regarding the future of transgender students continues to emerge with another recent court case, in which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit upheld a Pennsylvania school bathroom policy. The ruling found that transgender students would continue to be allowed to use bathrooms and locker rooms according to their gender identities in May.

A recent study showed that 64 percent of LGBT youth faced negative comments made by their families about being LGBT, while 18 percent of transgender people said their family was not supportive of their gender identity, according to the National Center for Transgender Equality.

The NCTE also found that 54 percent of those who were out or perceived as transgender in K–12 were verbally harassed, along with nearly one-quarter (24 percent) physically attacked and 13 percent sexually assaulted in K–12 because of being transgender. Additionally, 17 percent of transgender youth said they faced such harsh mistreatment that they left a K–12 school while nearly one-quarter (24 percent) of people who were out or perceived as transgender in college or vocational school were verbally, physically or sexually harassed.

The bill in question has had its first committee hearing but hasn’t yet reached the House floor for a vote.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons License

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