CLEMSON, S.C.—The under-construction Clemson University Alumni & Visitors Center has topped out, marking a major mile post in its construction, due to be completed later this year.  Brasfield & Gorrie is working on the project at the South Carolina college along with design partners Goodwyn Mills Cawood and Cooper Carry.

This five-story, 98,000-square-foot building will be home to various Clemson institutions, including the Class of 1944 Visitors Center, the Michelin Career Center, alumni association and admissions office.

“Topping out is an exciting time because we get to recognize the people whose skill and hard work make construction projects possible,” Brasfield & Gorrie Vice President and Division Manager Ben Barfield said at the event. “The Alumni & Visitors Center topping-out milestone is particularly special because most of our project team are Tiger alumni.

“What a great feeling and accomplishment for our team to invest in their alma mater and college community.”

Brasfield & Gorrie’s other projects at Clemson University include the Memorial Stadium renovations and Clemson University Women’s Sports Program expansion. The firm has 13 offices in total encompassing 3,500 employees and was ranked by Engineering News-Record as the 21st largest contractor nationwide in 2023.

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BERRY, Ga.—Architect Cooper Carry and general contractor Brasfield & Gorrie Construction jointly worked on the new Animal Science complex at McAllister Hall for Berry College, a school located near the city of Rome, Ga.

The $13 million, 26,500-square-foot animal studies department will offer the latest in scientific technology and focus on such disciplines as genetics, microbiology and physiology. Cross-disciplinary collaboration will be key to the research conducted in the Animal Science complex.

Natural light entering the building via larger-than-usual windows allows for easier wayfinding as well as lessens the need for artificial illumination. Furthermore, the design features exposed circulation and mechanical systems, thereby encouraging students to see an externalization of the holistic approach of biological studies.

On the exterior, the building’s skin features brick with metal panels and articulated fenestrations, meant to lend the structure an agrarian vibe. This also allows the Animal Science building to more seamlessly blend in with the existing McAllister Hall motif. Cooper Carry’s architectural flourishes include a two-story horse leg-inspired column on the facility’s exterior, which is made of stainless steel plates, laminated timber and cable to represent the musculoskeletal structures of the creature. Similarly, various canopies and porches in the building are meant to evoke various other skeletal features of animals that might be studied.

Educational flourishes include a necroscopy lab, lecture hall, teaching laboratories and various other research classrooms.

Tim Fish, principal at Cooper’s Carry’s Higher Education Studio, said in a statement that his company’s job was to “put interaction and collaboration at the heart of our design strategy.”

In a subsequent comment to School Construction News, Fish expanded on this notion and touched upon the importance of sunlight “illuminating” the process of scientific inquiry and discovery.

“Lab spaces and classrooms have an abundance of natural, carefully placed windows from corridors to lab and classroom spaces,” Fish remarked, “helping to further diffuse the light while putting science on display.”

“The animal science major has been a nationally recognized, top-performing program for many years,” Berry College President Steve Briggs recently noted. “We are excited to see how our students will work with faculty in the laboratories and specialized teaching areas to prepare for careers and leadership roles in animal-related industries. We know that great spaces inspire great performances.”

Although Berry College only has 2,100 students, its campus, at 27,000 acres, is in fact the largest of any institution of higher learning in the world.

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ATLANTA—Designer Cooper Carry and general contractor MEJA Construction have provided an entirely new vision for Jonesboro High School, located in Atlanta’s southeastern suburbs. Half of the older school was demolished—while classes continued to be in session—so as to make way for newer facilities.

Cooper Carry’s new look for the school debuted last August and entails motivational artwork, including large images and quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and former president Barack Obama. Images of other notables from history included in the design are Cesar Chavez, Malala Yousafzai, Margaret Thatcher, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan, John F. Kennedy, Maya Angelou and Serena Williams and featured along the corridors of the school.

The redesigned school features a double-level, main thoroughfare for pedestrians that bisects the school and links older areas with the new. “Main Street,” as it is being called, features two-story glass windows on both sides, allowing for ample views of the outside while letting natural light enter the thoroughfare itself—providing a central, orienting artery for the entire school.

The reimagined interior allows for better people flow and also provides learning spaces that are more in tune with modern high school educational needs. Additionally, the school’s “exterior envelope” was upgraded and new insulated walls and solar reflective roofs installed. To increase energy efficiency, the HVAC system and electrical systems were updated too.

MEJA Construction built a physical education facility that entails a gym, weight room, locker rooms and a track. Other areas that had to be constructed included a music suite and media center, a new cafeteria, as well as a job training center. New classrooms were installed so that Jonesboro students can be instructed in such areas as technology, culinary arts, barbering, woodworking and cosmetology.

The entire school has been reoriented from facing Mount Zion Blvd. to now look out upon McDonough Street, which is more heavily trafficked and thus more public facing.

Sophia Tarkhan, associate principal of leadership at Cooper Carry, said in a recent statement that her firm worked with the Clayton County Board of Education Members and Superintendent Morcease J. Beasley on fashioning a collective vision for the school’s present and future.

“Jonesboro High School was originally constructed in the 1960s and has had many additions over the years, creating a disjointed appearance from the street and making it difficult for students to navigate the school,” said Tarkhan. Accordingly, this made creating a unified look for the 21st century campus a bit of a challenge.

Added Ronick Joseph, Director of Construction at Clayton County Public Schools: “In working with Cooper Carry, we have established an exceptional learning environment where students can flourish and come to be motivated and inspired on a daily basis. The new Jonesboro High School is another example of the great things that are happening in Clayton County.”

“No matter where you are,” Tarkhan said of the redesigned school, “if you can see Main Street, then you can find your way.”

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Making an ambitious entrée into the world of culinary education, a unique new facility at Auburn University is taking hands-on learning to new heights for aspiring chefs and hospitality leaders. The university chose program management firm HPM to serve as the construction manager for the Tony and Libba Rane Culinary Science Center, a groundbreaking, dual-purpose building that will house a learning environment blended with a luxury boutique hotel, restaurant and food hall.

In this role, HPM is providing project management support for Auburn’s Facilities Management Administration in the ongoing construction of the world-class educational and hospitality facility, drawing on its years of experience leading hotel and higher education projects across the U.S. Designed by Cooper Carry, the fresh facility aims to be ready for students in the fall of 2022.

Located at the corner of East Thach Avenue and South College Street in downtown Auburn, Alabama, the 142,000-square-foot complex will facilitate hands-on, immersive learning experiences for students pursuing careers in hospitality and culinary sciences. Through the addition of classrooms, demonstration and food production laboratories, a brewing science center, and new teaching restaurant on the property, students will be able to train alongside some of the world’s leading chefs and hospitality experts. Those rare opportunities will play an invaluable role in equipping students with vital skills that will help position them as future leaders in the culinary and hospitality industries.

The luxury hotel portion of the project is seeking to achieve the AAA Five Diamond certification, an extremely elusive title that is given to less than half of one percent of the 27,000 hotels evaluated annually. The ability for students to learn in a hands-on culinary facility and work in a Five Diamond hotel is an experience that no other institution in the country currently offers. HPM previously served as the owner’s representative during construction of a $35 million AAA Five Diamond Hotel in Houston, Texas, which has provided the university with unique insight on the high-caliber design and quality execution that is required to achieve the coveted honor.

Since joining the project, HPM has provided value to the university, including scoping out and managing the bidding of a separate utility and enabling works package for the building contractor, which bypassed time-intensive utility relocations and kept the overall project schedule on track. The firm’s dedication to collaborative pre-planning and ability to deploy best practices gleaned from managing other complex projects in higher education and hospitality have enabled project partners to maintain budget efficiency and create additional value for the university.

“Auburn’s Culinary Science Center is a great fit for us because of our extensive resume in providing program management leadership on other high-profile hospitality and higher education initiatives,” said HPM President Ryan Austin. “With so many moving parts involved in a project of this size and scope, it’s crucial to have a seasoned owner’s representative that can quickly create and implement processes to keep things moving while maintaining cost efficiency for the university. We’re honored to partner with Auburn on building this state-of-the-art facility and look forward to its completion.”

Construction on The Tony and Libba Rane Culinary Science Center began in April 2020. Auburn alumnus and Board of Trustees member Jimmy Rane helped kickstart the project with a $12 million gift dedicated to the building’s construction. The board later approved naming the facility in honor of his parents, Tony and Libba Rane.

HPM provides comprehensive planning, design and construction-related experiences in order to offer clients a one-stop approach to complete program management and owner’s representation.

Editor’s Note: This is an updated version of a feature that initially appeared in the March/April 2022 issue of School Construction News.

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BROOKHAVEN, Ga.—When the Fall semester began on Aug. 19, science and business students at Oglethorpe University began attending classes in the newly completed I.W. “Ike” Cousins Center for Science and Innovation (formerly Goslin Hall). Located on the historic quadrangle of the campus, the original, three-story modernist building was reimagined into a union of contemporary innovative architecture and a reflection of the authentically crafted Collegiate Gothic buildings on campus. The new center now hosts laboratory classrooms and spaces for interactive study across numerous disciplines and the university’s newly established Q. William Hammack Jr. School of Business.

Cooper Carry led the design for the nearly 50-year-old building’s exterior and interior renovations as well as its 25,000-square-foot addition, a U-shaped structure wrapping three sides of the original 1971 hall. This approach limited the waste of demolition by reusing the existing structure and also preserves available land on campus for future growth. The redesigned Cousins Center incorporates modern elements such as extensive glass walls to let in light and provide expansive views, multiple new entryways that connect pedestrians from all corners of campus, and enhanced accessibility.

To forge a design that blends the historic with the new, Cooper Carry’s design team translated historic proportions for roof slopes, stone detailing, and windows after analyzing the original hand-drawn blueprints for Lupton Hall, the second-oldest building on campus, which have been preserved by the Atlanta History Center. Many of the innovative contemporary elements such as curtain wall, metal panels and roof overhangs were based on the fundamental proportions of the historic documents discovered by the design team. In addition, slate roofing tiles, granite walls and precast concrete detailing echo the campus’ dominant Collegiate Gothic architecture, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The exterior stone from the original building was also preserved and repurposed as interior walls after the addition was built around it.

“As a new central hub for the campus, the science and business schools provide a unified environment to spark creativity and encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration. This focus on communal innovation and collaboration was a critical component of the design,” remarked Brian Campa, principal at Cooper Carry. “By opening up the old spaces and creating interconnected environments, the Cousins Center puts learning and collaboration on display, capitalizing on the building location to create an important crossroads for students at the heart of the campus.”

The design team recognized the importance of providing ample daylight to maximize energy efficiency, save costs and improve the student experience. Natural light carries throughout the center with glass walls dividing classrooms and interior hallways, also benefitting interdisciplinary communication and interaction.

Inside the center, updated laboratories facilitate active learning with state-of-the-art technology. A new space called “The Garage” features a stage and tiered bleacher seating for events as well as an industrial garage door, which opens to a quad-level outdoor terrace. The operable garage door blends the indoor and outdoor realms, providing another area for students to gather with peers or find pause in nature. Upstairs, a loft space serves as a new incubation lab where students can develop startups or create products, with reservable meeting rooms, teaming furniture and technology for collaboration.

Brasfield & Gorrie, one of the nation’s largest privately held construction firms, ably handled the construction side of the project.

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ATLANTA — Early 20th century Architect Francis Palmer Smith was not the client when Joseph E. Brown Middle School was renovated recently in Atlanta, Smith’s hometown. Yet, in a sense, he was.

The project preserved the authenticity of Smith’s Romanesque-inspired design of Brown and advanced a philosophy of the “scholar architect” that school buildings should influence their users and “should participate in the education of students and help them appreciate beauty and culture.” Worn, circular medallions on the façade of the near century-old building are inscribed with inspirational cues such as “citizenship,” “service” and “culture.”

Besides upholding Smith’s ideals, the $22 million Brown Middle School additions and modifications project delivered to its client, Atlanta Public Schools (APS), the infrastructure of a 21st century teaching and learning community. The upgrade involved select interior renovations to the original four-story Brown school building and added a multipurpose building. The work scope also included an array of campus improvements. Cooper Carry served as the architect on the project, while JE Dunn Construction managed construction — both of which have local offices in Atlanta.

“It was our intent to provide an inspiring education environment that respected the original architecture, revering the existing building in form, composition and detailing,” said Sophia Tarkhan, associate principal with Cooper Carry and project manager for Brown Middle School.

Expecting the Unexpected

Older-building renovations typically present surprises. “It’s not uncommon to take walls down and discover things that aren’t supposed to be there, things not reflected in the documents,” said Brian Stephens, superintendent for JE Dunn Construction. “We had our share of revelations and odd challenges.”

For example, field measurements of the space between the existing gymnasium and classroom buildings revealed a slight discrepancy between the structural drawings and the actual measurements. JE Dunn also worked closely with its masonry trade partner to ensure the Flemish bond brickwork on one side of the auditorium building lined up seamlessly with brick patterns on the new building. Matching up the brick, mortar and cast stone elements of old and new was a meticulous exercise in trial and error. Permitting delays also stirred anxiety.

Like many APS projects, particularly renovations, the Brown project was in a dense residential area. Homes lined the street directly across from the school. Project personnel placed high priority on the safety of the surrounding community and were careful to minimize disturbances caused by the construction. Sidewalk access and street parking on both sides of Peeples Street, Brown’s location, were maintained throughout construction.

The construction team dealt with one especially untimely challenge: a historic rainy season that bedeviled the project from day one. Not only was December 2015 cold, Atlanta received 12.5 inches of rain — the rainiest Atlanta December in 20-plus years.

“Every day it rained,” Superintendent Stephens recalled. “At times, water was 2.5- to 3-feet deep. Worse than the water, was the amount of mud. It was a struggle.”

Even as rains poured, however, workers installed the concrete foundations for the addition building and installed a massive underground detention system.

New & Enhanced

The core of the Brown Middle School project involved select improvements to the historic four-story building, including reconfigured classroom spaces in some areas to create larger, more open learning settings. The administrative suite and the school’s main entrance were upgraded to improve ambiance, function and security. The project also gutted the building’s drab, sparingly used gymnasium basement, transforming it into an attractive dance room and STEM lab spaces filled with natural light.

Particularly painstaking was the task of replacing worn terrazzo flooring — popular in public buildings during the 1920s — in the school’s corridors and stairwells.

The 34,500-square-foot new addition building hosts a dazzling, digitally enhanced “media commons” that promotes integrative learning — a big move up from the traditional media center, housed in the basement of the original building. Now main-level front and center, the media commons is “a communally experienced space that celebrates learning,” said Tarkhan of Cooper Carry. “With this move, the natural progression was to extend this experience to the exterior by creating an enclosed terraced, soft-scape courtyard.”

The new building also provides a cafeteria, kitchen, modern fine arts spaces and counseling suites.

Campus improvements included a new softball field; a 420-foot-long, 34,540-square-foot underground storm water detention system; a football field with asphalt track; landscaping upgrades; and revamped traffic loading zones.

From inception, the complex undertaking benefited from the entrenched culture of collaboration shared by APS, JE Dunn Construction and Cooper Carry. The three have collaborated on multiple projects for more than 10 years.

“Our working relationship with APS and Cooper Carry was one of the main reasons the job went as smoothly as it did,” said Jackie Avello, JE Dunn project manager. “It would be difficult to overestimate how much the trust and camaraderie already built into the team contributed to our getting timely answers and making on-the-fly decisions regarding design changes and owner-requested changes, and to our ability to respond promptly to unforeseen conditions.”

Model of Efficiency

From innovative partnering to heavy reliance on technology, including building information modeling (BIM) and hyperlinked construction documents, the project adopted tools that saved time and resources.

An on-site project engineer worked each day to maintain the set of drawings, with the master set pushed to the entire project team immediately after it was updated, both via email and on the SharePoint project website. By using tablets, mobile kiosks with hyperlinked drawings and a printer, workers in the field could constantly access the latest plans — and take them directly to where their work was being performed. The SharePoint project website saved the project over $25,000 in printing costs.

JE Dunn also self-performed approximately 15 percent of the project’s scope of work, including concrete, demolition within the gymnasium scope, doors and hardware, rough carpentry and drywall. Doing so gave the company greater control over manpower and procurement, making it simpler to control costs and schedule.

The team also leveraged lean construction processes, particularly The Last Planner System, to promote smooth workflow and superior schedule performance. The Last Planner centers on pull planning sessions, in which all “last planners” (persons closest to the work with authority to make decisions) meet in a large room and plan together, working backward from the end of the project to the beginning. For each major project milestone, the last planners identify work that needs to be completed, or barriers that need to be overcome, before each task or activity can proceed. The interactive, mutual accountability of the process effectively reduces the amount of fluff trade partners can build into the schedule.

JE Dunn delivered the Brown Middle School project on time, within budget and without a single lost-time incident.

“Dunn’s project team exhibited great determination, innovation and creativity by overcoming the inherent budget, sequencing, logistical and schedule challenges in completing this uniquely complex project while maintaining the highest levels of quality and safety,” said Jere Smith, director of capital improvements for APS.

Jackie Avello is project manager for JE Dunn, while Brian Stephens is the company’s superintendent.

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The funds will be dispersed among 24 school districts with $306 million allotted to school construction, $50 million for maintenance projects, $25 million to alleviate overcrowded classrooms and $20 million will be dedicated to making the state’s schools more energy efficient. The fund may also provide reimbursement for school construction that has already completed.

“Our children cannot concentrate on learning if they’re sitting in a school that’s crumbling,” Illinois Governor Pat Quinn said in a statement. “When I became governor, I initiated the first capital construction program in a decade to elevate our schools and universities to world-class status. The quality of learning happening in our schools will drive tomorrow’s economy. These school construction projects will not only raise the standard of learning in our classrooms, they will bring much-needed jobs to workers around our state.”

The school construction is part of the larger $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now economic recovery initiative, which intends to produce jobs and replace aging infrastructure in Illinois. The initiative is expected to generate 439,000 jobs over the next six years.

With the funding, schools throughout the state will have the ability to construct new schools, classroom additions and renovate aging facilities while also creating thousands of construction jobs for a much-needed boost to the state’s economy. The state will also focus on projects to provide greater access to students with disabilities, repair roofing structures, and replace outdated energy systems.

Cook County schools will receive $23.3 million in funding, which will provide crucial funding to five area school districts. The projects now funded in Cook County include the construction or reimbursement for the construction of approximately 100 additional classrooms.

Clay, Marion and Wayne County school districts in southeastern Illinois will share $52.4 million in educational facility upgrade funds. The additional funds will assist the districts in the construction of pre-K to 5 school designed for 1,600 students in Clay County, the construction of an approximately 1,175-student pre-K to 12 school in Wayne County and an additional eight classrooms in Marion County.

Chicago Public Schools will receive the largest amount from the initiative with $89 million allotted to reviving aging school buildings and construct new facilities in the city. More than $59 million will be utilized for capital construction, approximately $10 million will go toward maintenance projects and $4 million will be dedicated to making Chicago schools more energy efficient.

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