The architectural firm of John Ciardullo P.C. (JC) of New York and Hackensack, N.J., and general contractor E.W. Howell, with offices in Manhattan and Plainview, N.Y., are designing and constructing the new addition, respectively. When complete, it will help accommodate growing enrollment in the Dorothy Bonawit Kole School, which currently serves more than 1,100 students in grades K–8. The New York City School Construction Authority (SCA) will manage the project’s design and construction, and the project will be financed by the New York City Department of Education.

“This sorely needed addition to P.S./I.S. 49 is a true investment in our children and our community,” Council Member Crowley said in a statement. “New classrooms, including ones with computer and science labs, will give our local students the resources they need to build a strong foundation.”

The three-story, 26,000-square-foot addition will house 13 regular classrooms, two special education classrooms, three resource rooms, a medical suite, and an exercise room as well as an expanded cafeteria, according to a statement by JC Principal John Ciardullo, RA. The new building’s contemporary architecture will also reflect the exterior of the 2009 expansion, also designed by JC, and of the original school erected in 1933.

Further, the addition was designed in accordance with the NYC Green Schools Guide and Rating System, which specifies energy efficiency and healthy environment requirements as well as sustainable architecture and construction practices for New York City public schools, according to a statement by E.W. Howell Project Manager Robert Isbit.

The carefully planned addition will feature a partial basement, concrete foundation walls and footings, a structural steel frame, brick and masonry exterior walls, and a glass-and-aluminum curtain wall section. It will mirror the 2009 expansion, reflecting — in a modern interpretation — the architectural vocabulary and window rhythm of the original 1933 school building. The addition’s exterior wall will include red and off-white brick. A three-story high curtain wall section will frame windows at the termination point of hallways.

During construction, crews will partially remove an exterior wall of the 2009 expansion in order to seamlessly connect its corridors on all three floors to the new corridors within the addition as well as to the current main lobby. An existing cafeteria will be completely renovated and expanded into the new addition in order to accommodate the expanded student body. As part of the project, the team will also resurface the school’s play yard.

Also included in the project team are mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (M/E/P) engineer DVL Consulting Engineers of New York and Hackensack; New York-based civil engineer AKRF; and sustainability consultant EME Group of Albany, N.Y. JC’s design team includes Senior Project Architect Chuck Heaphy, Project Manager Jarrett Semkow, John Alvarado and Ardeny Goris.
 

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The school’s new addition features a three-story glass curtain wall façade that leads into a bright and inviting student center. Beyond that is a spacious, open plan cafeteria that can seat up to 600, giving the school a new venue for events. The space also includes an expansive student center, a dining facility, multi-purpose areas and an elevator to improve ADA accessibility. The focal point of the addition is a soaring tubular steel structure that creates a collaborative space for students to study, socialize and access services.

Designed by Wight & Company and built by Gilbane Building Company, both located in Chicago, the addition officially opened in time for the beginning of the current school semester in January. As the original school was built in 1901 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, Kevin Havens, director of design for Wight & Company, explained in a statement that the Wight & Company team wanted to honor the building’s history and its elegance. A portion of the original limestone façade, which features Gothic entrance doors, became part of the new atrium, while the school’s interior still showcases original relief panels, marble wainscoting and decorative cast iron staircases.

"The architecture team envisioned a space that would serve as the heart of the school, connecting the new with the old," Havens said in a statement. "Our atrium design references elements of the Collegiate Gothic style of this landmark building, but does so in a modern way that is light and airy.”

"Our design solution features one of the limestone walls of the existing school and treats it like artwork on the interior of the new structure,” Havens continued. “It’s an approach that is both delicate and grand."

Tom Roth of Wight & Company, who served as project manager and senior designer, said the addition serves as the new front door to the school. "We heard time and again from residents that they see Joliet Central as a beacon for the entire community," explained Roth in a statement. "Our design is a physical manifestation of that idea. At night, the three-story atrium glows like a lantern, making its strong presence known in downtown Joliet."

"This addition is about preparing us for the future, but it was also very important to us that this new building maintained the historic feel and flow of our campus,” said Superintendent Dr. Cheryl McCarthy in a statement. "The design accomplishes both just beautifully. It literally takes your breath away."

Groundbreaking on the project, which was shaped by a significant amount of community input, took place in May 2014. Construction was completed in several phases. Wight served as the designer and architect of record for the project, and also provided structural engineering, MEP engineering, interior design and landscape architecture services.
 

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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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To meet this goal, the new 21st century Methuen High School features an entirely new wing for art and music classes. The highlight of this new addition is a 750-seat auditorium with a professional-level stage, technical gallery and catwalks, as well as tiered side boxes and flexible seating. Instrument practice rooms will also be included.

A well-equipped new media center — which Superintendent Judy Scannell called “the showpiece of the new renovation” in a video highlighting the project’s progress — will be packed with new technology. The school will also offer production and graphic design studios, as well as a glass-encased reading room. Further upgrades have been completed on student locker bays, and life safety improvements to the field house and ice rink ensure all facilities meet ADA code.
The school’s new addition houses a modern kitchen, serving area and cafeteria, as well as physical plant infrastructure. Where the original school offered just four science labs, the expansion now accommodates 17 new, state-of-the-art laboratories. A catwalk will link different areas of the school, and a new entrance will serve the auditorium, field house and ice rink.
Skylights line the school’s new primary entryway, infusing it with natural light to improve the student experience and reduce energy use. This distinct and welcoming entryway gives the facility a clear identity and clarifies wayfinding. Lively colors and finishes further enhance the interior.

Consigli Construction, with offices across New England, broke ground on the project in July 2011 and is wrapping it up this month. The renovation and addition project was largely complete while the school was occupied using the Construction Manager at-Risk method.
Consigli devised an aggressive, yet finely tuned, two-phase construction process to accommodate the nearly 1,500, 10-12 grade students who remained in the building throughout the project. This involved relocating the school’s entire 9th grade class to a nearby middle school and shifting the three remaining grades throughout the building during construction. The firm also created temporary classrooms, labs, offices and administrative spaces within the schools’ existing kitchen area. Two temporary modular buildings were brought onto the campus to serve as science classrooms.
Additional members of the project team included Engineers Design Group Inc. of Malden, Mass.; RDK Engineers with offices in Massachusetts and North Carolina; ART Engineering Corporation of Worchester, Mass.; and Nitsch Engineering Inc. of Boston.

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The $20 million expansion will tackle multiple elements of the school’s campus from education to infrastructure. Construction will focus on a 60,000-square-foot Instructional Center, including seven modern science labs, 14 dance studios, instrumental music and choir rehearsal facilities, 16 practice rooms, dressing rooms and storage space. A portion of the funds will also help improve resources and technology throughout the campus, and provide new equipment for the school’s film and television and digital media conservatories.

The project will create a central quad and stage area outside, where students can create, study, collaborate and showcase their talent. Nearby, a double-lane student pick-up and drop-off area will be added to improve access. Exterior improvements to existing facilities, as well as security upgrades, will help integrate the new structure into the existing campus.

“When completed, OCSA will be an impressive urban campus featuring more than 300,000 square feet of instruction, performance and support facilities — high-quality facilities that will match our high-quality programming,” said Ralph S. Opacic, capital campaign co-chair, in a statement.

The OCSA currently serves nearly 2,000 students in grades 7–12 across five different schools focused on applied arts, fine and media arts, dance, music and theater. OCSA is also the only institution of its kind in the region to offer tuition-free academic and arts instruction to students from Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties.

“The Orange County School of the Arts represents a vital piece in the Orange County arts community, and is already among the finest arts high schools in the country,” said Marybelle Musco, campaign co-chair, in a statement. “Now is the time to provide these students and generations of future artists and scholars with the outstanding programs and facilities they deserve.”

OCSA has partnered with architect John Sergio Fisher Associates, with offices in both Los Angeles and San Francisco, to create the vision for its sweeping campus expansion. The firm has completed multiple theater projects, including the Los Angeles Music and Art School.

“Our inspiration for the design was developed through a participatory process including school leadership, faculty, staff and parents,” said Martin Howard, CEO and president of Howard CDM, in a statement.

Howard, who is also an OCSA parent and school construction consultant, added, “One of the most exciting things about this building is that the main façade will continually change with photographs of dancers, performers or artwork printed on large scrims. This makes the building truly dynamic and innovative. It is a piece of living art.”

The campaign has already raised $9.5 million, and construction is scheduled to begin in summer 2014. Completion is tentatively planned for summer 2015.

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Work on the high school, which is one of the state’s most populated, will include the addition of several new parking lots and athletic fields, as well as a new student drop-off/pick-up zone for parents. However, a 156,000-square-foot addition will have the greatest impact on the campus.

“Phase I culminates with (the construction of) two, two-story buildings,” said Las Cruces High School Principal Jed Hendee. In a recorded tour of the campus during construction, Hendee also explained that the school’s A Wing, former library, and administrative and counseling areas were all removed in order to make space for the new facilities. The modern addition is intended to help improve student flow between classes, and will be devoted to classrooms, administration areas, a media center and a new performing arts laboratory. To improve student safety, a new pedestrian bridge will link the two buildings, which will sit on either side of El Paseo, one of the city’s busiest streets.

According to Hendee modifications will also be made to the school’s existing B and D Wings. After Phase 1 construction is complete the school will move from a temporary library currently located in the B Wing to a new, permanent facility. The B Wing will also maintain four working classrooms throughout construction.

For the duration of Phase I the school’s D Wing science classroom and lab have been converted into a fully functional registration area and counseling center. Behind the school’s existing H Wing and greenhouse a ditch has also been filled to make more room for staff parking. ADA compliance work will take place throughout the school as well.

"Phase I of this major renovation project will bring a whole new look to Las Cruces High School," said Las Cruces Public Schools Superintendent Stan Rounds. "The project will also have an impact on the El Paseo corridor, and I’m confident the community will be really pleased with the results."

Project analysis for the new high school began in August 2011. A steering committee guided the design process, which was completed in August 2013. According to a release issued by the school, the cost of the total project, which will take an estimated five to six years to complete, is estimated at $82 million.

Wooten|Sundt, a joint venture of Sundt Construction Inc. and Wooten Construction, was awarded the construction contract for the project. Sundt has extensive experience in education construction, having worked on the James P. Butler Elementary School in El Paso, Texas and multiple higher education projects. Likewise, Wooten has constructed more than 100 education facilities for the Las Cruces Public Schools, New Mexico State University, Gadsden Independent School District, and Hatch Valley Schools. Rem Alley Associates, PC & ASA, an architecture firm based in Las Cruces, was selected to design the first phase of construction, which will be completed by August 2015.

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